


Hveðrungr

by Feldritch



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Asgard, BAMF Loki, Bruce Banner Is a Good Bro, Developing Relationship, Helhiem, Help, Loki Has Issues, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki's Kids, Loki-centric, M/M, Midgard, Nidavellir, Protective Bruce Banner, Slow Burn, Svartalfheim, Tony's a little shit, i don't really know how to tag, realm-hopping, they're the same place, you name it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-11-17 12:32:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11275395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feldritch/pseuds/Feldritch
Summary: Loki is missing half a year's worth of memories to the Void-Crawlers, the Chitauri. With a reluctant Bruce Banner's help, Loki sets out to clear his name and get his revenge. (Some torture, some romance, very little Hulking)Also on ff.net





	1. Chapter 1

He had spent a week in New York, searching. Seven days spent slinking in alleyways and cringing away from the light. His pride was shattered and the sight of his hollow face reflected in broken glass and muddy puddles offended him. He had no clothes other than those clinging to his oozing back and lacked the power to summon more; his arms still stung where the anti-magic wards had been branded and no amount of scratching or scorching faded them. He was an image of madness and desperation and only one thing drove him.

He had to find the green warrior.

It was the end of his first week free that he found the newspaper that had blown from the gleaming city into the corrupt alley. The title congratulated the Avengers, now six months old, and had a small article on each member. There were no pictures, no details about the battle of New York.

The archer and assassin weren't mentioned, but the shield and the armoured one were in the city. The green warrior was very far east on an island called 'Korea'.

It took another week to find a ship headed in that direction, and even so he had to swim from the archipelago called Japan to reach his target.

But Loki was stubborn, and he would find the one called Doctor Banner.

Bruce gnawed his way through a stale kwabaegi, watching the people bustle by his cement bench. He had been in Seoul a month now, and was hoping for another month of traveling the country side before some disaster brought him back to the States. His single battered bag was packed and ready back at the dingy motel he called camp and the good doctor was picking up his last lunch in the city before returning to the poorer sections of the country.

Someone tall and gaunt stumbled through the crowd, who parted to avoid him in a place that crowds would normally scythe through anyone not carrying a gun. That alone made Bruce's 'inner beast' rumble a warning that turned into a long snarl as the man sat gingerly beside him. Banner discreetly examined him over the hard pastry.

He had long curled black hair that hadn't seen clean water in ages and thin black stubble crawled over his face. There were deep angry scars over one cheek, like something pissed and spiky had clung to his face and had to be torn off. Weeks old but still in danger of infection or even reopening. Despite deep lines of sadness and exhaustion under glazed green eyes he looked young, barely out of his teens. His clothes were in even worse shape than their owner and may have at some time been a cheap brown tunic and trousers but were now soiled by sea water and ripped.

It was with a distant flicker of surprise that Bruce noticed the deadened man beside him was Loki himself.

"Dr. Banner, I presume?" The escaped lunatic said politely. His voice was the liveliest thing about him.

Somehow, that was a bigger shock than being cornered in Korea by a mad god. "Henry Stanley?" Bruce snorted. "Where did you hear that?" He clutched the kwabaegi to his chest like a shield.

"A book I read, years ago." He crossed his hands in his lap, rimrod straight, but with a slight quiver in his shoulder that betrayed an injury underneath the salt-encrusted, stiff shirt. "I've been looking for you. I had hoped you would be in New York."

"You found me." The doctor replied warily. "I am the first then?"

"First what?" Loki looked honestly curious.

"First victim. The first person you kill for your revenge?" Bruce was a little less certain that a bloody battle was about to sink Korea into the sea. Loki seemed unstable and injured, but not hostile.

"No, no," The trickster protested mildly. "I'm here for your help, actually. You see, I have a rather large gap in my memory. A few years ago, I fell from the Bifrost, that is," He explained with an uncharacteristic perceptive of a mortal's understanding, "the interplanetary device that powers our travel to other realms. I recall.. it's seems a dream... going very far very fast through the dark. When I awoke my bones were broken and a massive green warrior was standing over me, yourself, yes?"

"Er," Banner stared at the young god's open face. This was not how things went. The god should be either elbow deep in Hulk or a bloody smear on a distant mountain- not that Bruce was complaining! "Yeah? I mean, that was me. Do you mean to say you don't remember what you did?"

"And there is the meaning to my quest." Loki leaned in. He smelt faintly of the sea and firewood. Bruce watched his thin lips tighten into a snarl. "What. Did. I. Do?"

"Yo-You attacked Earth," Banner barely breathed. "With an army. Of aliens."

"Tell me who they are."

"Chitauri." The answer came out at as a high, breathless whine. Somehow, the sane (If he could be called that) Loki was scarier.

Loki's eyes narrowed in contemplation. Bruce nervously hoped the god of lies would back up soon because the Other Guy was beginning to see him as a threat. Finally, Loki seemed to make a decision and returned to his side of the bench with an air of determination. He didn't let his back touch the bench.

"I will require your services." He said grandly.

"What?! N-" Those burning green eyes shimmered like poisonous snakes. Feeling a touch ashamed, Bruce amended his protest to a quiet mumble. "Look, I can't help you. If you're telling the truth, why don't you get Thor-"

"No." The shimmer shifted to a full blaze. "Asgard would rather brand lie as truth and welcome a falsehood into their homes before they believe anything I say as honesty. You will help me, Dr. Banner. I need a man who is clever, a healer who is discreet and a warrior who is strong. Besides, I was under the impression you enjoyed helping innocents?"

"Fine, fine. I am an Avenger," Banner admitted reluctantly, setting aside his kwabaegi. "and you were, maybe, wrongfully imprisoned. If you are telling the truth then you should know better than to attack me, right?"

"That is not something I would quickly forget." The trickster rose stiffly and offered his arm like a true gentleman. "If you would be so kind as to escort me to your home?"

Bruce barely remembered the trip back to the motel, explaining in poor Korean that he would be staying a little while longer, and lending the god his spare bed mat. It was all very surreal, and the doctor felt like his brains would spill out if he turned his head to sharply. It wasn't until he came back from the grocer with food and extra medical supplies that the world righted itself brutally at the sight of Loki's now bare back.

The trickster had evidently removed the tunic in his absence, and had troubled several bone deep welts into weeping at the effort instead of waiting for aid. The marks were thin and sharp, as though cut with a blade, but with strange burns on the damaged parts of the cut severe enough to prevent healing. Despite being crusted with dirt and grime, they seemed uninfected, a benefit of godhood. Whip wounds, Banner realised. He knew he looked green because Loki nervously licked his lips and shifted from his place on the floor. The mats had been moved to the corner of the room, to avoid them getting bloodied. The shirt was crumpled in the corner, ruined beyond help.

"Dr. Banner?"

Bruce cleared his throat, pulling out the needle and thread. "Sorry. Is that... all?" He winced but it was too late to stop the insensitive remark. All?! He berated himself. Why not tell him he deserved worse while you're at it! "I didn't mean-"

"It's quite alright, doctor. There are some superficial wounds but they will heal on their own. I would not ask for aid if I could afford the injury or heal it myself but I cannot reach my own back."

"Why not 'magick' it?" Bruce carefully shot 5mg of morphine into the god's emancipated arm. Even being unbelievable underweight, the doctor didn't worry about overdosing Loki. The dosage hardly stilled his trembling shoulder and Banner gently urged Loki into laying down on his stomach. He didn't want the tremble to risk lodging a needle inside a wound instead of beside it.

"My magic is blocked, at the moment." Loki stated flatly. Bruce wondered at the trickster's apparent honestly before feeling a flicker of shame. Hadn't the god himself stated that no-one ever believed his honesty? If Loki somehow trusted the two-faced man of all people, Bruce should not judge.

They both fell silent as Bruce quickly cleaned and sewed the nastiest few before switching to gauze, which was really just a semi-clean sheet that hadn't yet been bled on. The needle had nearly broken after the tenth stitch and the force required to get it through Loki's skin obviously caused him great pain, though he didn't show it. If the god had his magic, the needle probably couldn't have penetrated his eye. By the time Bruce was finished, dinner was long gone and Loki had fallen into an exhausted state of unconsciousness. Looking at the young face screwed up in pain and tiredness prevented Bruce from calling the fitful rest sleep.

Deciding that rest was more important then food, Banner pulled the bed mat out of the corner before draping a thin sheet over Loki and a scratchy blanket over himself and dropped his glasses beside him. Despite the sort of wariness that would require a three month coma to recover from, Bruce couldn't sleep. He caught himself listening to the faint breathing of someone who he had believed to be the essence of evil, someone who might not have committed all those crimes by himself. Someone who may have been whipped to within an inch of his life by his father-

There was a faint bell sound emerging from the disemboweled remains of his previously neatly packed bag. Bruce pulled out his phone (Stark-tec, under Tony's firm demand and less firm pleading) and turned off the ringer before it could wake up Loki. Tony had texted him. It was bleary, both due to the surrounding darkness and Banner's lack of eyewear, but said something along the lines of;

Thor s herr

Rudlf escapd

Can u come?

Bruce looked at the screen until it was a burning rectangle of light. It turned off. He turned it back on and stared some more. Loki stirred on the other side of the room with a sleepy murmur. His eyes had started to water by the time he decided on a reply.

In Korea, may be another month.

Keep me updated.

Tony immediately replied with a thumbs up and a recommendation of a local geisha house that Bruce didn't bother reading. As he shut off his phone and rolled over, he could hear a very, very quiet voice whisper. "Thank you." But then, it had been a stressful day, and Loki was certain to deny anything he said. Just as Banner could vehemently argue that he certainly hadn't replied "You're welcome." Seeing as Loki didn't say anything in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

It was nearly noon when Bruce finally woke up again. The first thing he noticed was the lack of Loki. And, when he lifted his head, the missing bed mat and notably invisible pack that held all of his money and food.

He saw green.

"LOKI!" Banner shot out of his bed like a greased bullet, nearly frothing. He was half a second from Hulking Out when the paper door slid open and the irritated face of the trickster glared out.

"What?!" He snapped. Bruce felt dizzy as the rage suddenly left and the Other Guy snorted in confusion. "Honestly, you would think I robbed you!"

The pack, neatly repacked, was slung over one shoulder. The bed mat was rolled up and tucked under his opposite arm. One of his bigger shirts was draped over the god's emancipated figure, barely reaching Loki's belly button and nearly slipping off his shoulders.

"What are you doing with my pack?" The doctor regained some of his previous rage and pulled the bag harshly from the god's shoulder. He felt a faint lick of guilt at the painful gasp Loki gave when he was jostled.

"I was rearranging it!" The trickster snarled, finally dropping some of his chilled politeness. "There is glass so I did it in the hall to avoid waking you."

Bruce peered into the bag, noting that nothing seemed missing besides the shirt and in better order then he had ever seen.

"You- you shouldn't've- you didn't have to-" He began hotly before deflating at the spark of hurt hidden in Loki's blazing emerald eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. Thank you for your consideration." Loki accepted the apology with a sharp nod.

"Now then," Loki lifted his head with noble bearing. "We can began our quest."

"Quest?" Bruce puzzled aloud as he rolled up his own bed mat and blanket.

"The quest for the Chitauri, of course." The trickster said with a sniff. "I intend to hunt them down and make them plead for mercy, which I will grant, after they tell me everything they know of course."

"Of course..." Banner agreed weakly. It was easier to accept the torture and slaughter (and there would undoubtedly be a slaughter) of a monstrous, alien race responsible for the death of hundreds if not thousands but then again, everyone had thought the same of Loki and would have cheered at the sight of his bloodied back. Drawing courage from the fact, Bruce protested. "Actually, I don't think you.. should..." The full force of Loki's Glare had turned on the doctor. Even injured, even powerless, Bruce suddenly doubted that Hulk could beat this Loki. This Loki, who was near dead from wounds and malnutrition, whose eyes had the dull gleam of grief until angered, was no puny god. Perhaps the Other Guy could pound him into the ground, but even if Loki was torn in half the sorcerer would keep coming, with that burning, poisonous gaze and seething determination.

"They stole my time," Loki murmured. "They stole my name, they stole my body, they stole my life. When I find them, and I will find them, Yggdrasil will weep for there will be nothing left to water her. You can help me Dr. Banner, or you can join them."

Bruce hadn't felt terror so deep since the Accident. It wasn't the fear of hurting loved ones, of losing control that he was so familiar with. It was the fear for his survival, the horror at seeing the end of his life lunging for his throat, the need to live and to do anything to keep living.

He opened him mouth and something smarter than him said, " 'Kay."

The two mats were strapped to the pack and Bruce meekly picked it up. He should have told Tony, he realised. Even if Loki killed him for it. The real Loki was twenty times more fierce-some and frightening than the puppet had been. He understood why the Chitauri would hollow him out instead of try to pressure his obedience, because one as stubborn as Loki wouldn't bow to any will but his own. Loki had lead them right out of Seoul and into the bush before Banner drummed up the bravery to speak again.

"Where are we going?" He panted, forcing his way through the thick undergrowth.

Loki didn't spare him a glance or a reply. Bruce was about to repeat himself when the slim god vanished into the bushes. A little panicked, the doctor pushed after him and found a beautiful clearing. Loki had knelt down painfully and was pulling up weeds and rocks. Bruce helped and they quickly cleared away a 7-by-4 area of churned earth that was stomped into a firm floor.

"What's this about?" Banner wondered, mostly to himself. He was a little surprised when Loki answered.

"We need to remove the anti-magic wards on my skin." The god gestured to charcoal burns that lined the inside of his arms from wrist to elbow. The shape of them did funny things, if he stared at them directly, they seemed to wiggle the tiniest bit and make his eyes water. "It will hurt, and we cannot risk being heard and turned into a spectacle. Your Avengers would catch on far faster if that happened."

"Right... How badly will it hurt you? Removing the- the wards?"

"Badly enough that I may scream, but you cannot stop." The green eyes pinned him again. Bruce could feel the Other Guy grumbling somewhere in a dark corner of his mind but it made no protest. An animal, Bruce realised, is far wiser than any prideful man. "We can do only one. If both are released the responding rush of magic would create... difficulties."

"What difficulties?" asked Banner warily, placing his bag on the edge of the platform.

"Flying fish, trees growing overnight, spontaneous fires, maybe even a few floods or earthquakes." Loki chuckled and moved the pack and blankets a few feet further from the cleared area. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled the med kit out from the top of the bag and tossed it to the doctor.

"That doesn't sound like difficulties, that sounds like chaos." Bruce pointed out, catching the kit. "Has it happened before?"

Loki paused in his task, looking wistful. "Oh, yes. When I was... seven or eight, by Midgardian standards, I was forbidden from practising magic. It is not a proper pursuit for a man, I am told. I was obedient and refrained from magic for nearly a month. The caged energy made me ill and M- the Queen urged the All-Father to lift the ban. I tried to cast a simple spell to burn off some power but the magic had a mind of it's own. The castle has been golden ever since. This will be much worse, when I allow it. It has been six months, and I am much stronger now."

"Wait, you turned an entire palace gold?" Bruce placed the med kit on the clearing's edge and turned his scientific curiosity towards the god. "Like, all the way through? Or just gilded, or just coloured-"

"All the way through." He replied proudly. "Every last bar of iron and crumble of stone. My talents were... better appreciated afterwards." The grin faded and Loki gestured for Bruce to kneel across from him as he sat down. "Do you have a blade?"

"Um," Banner quickly searched the med kit and came up with the largest scalpel he could find. Loki gave it a disappointing look but nodded.

"What you are to do," The god began, offering his arm palm out. "Is carve out the wards."

"You mean," Bruce looked at the scalpel and swallowed before bracing himself. "Fine. How deep do they go? What about blood loss?"

"They are fused with the muscle. You will have to start at the sides, lift, and sever the connection. Cut off the whole damn arm if you have to, but once you start, do not stop." His voice was light and conversational. Like it wasn't his arm they were referring to but a log, something distant, not alive. "The magic will cauterise the wound once it is released, and you would have to remove the heart for a god to die of blood loss." The fallen god refused the last of the morphine but accepted a clean sock wrapped around a stick to keep from cracking his teeth.

Bruce thought about the lack of anaesthetic or sterilised equipment and how long he would be locked away for aiding a wanted super-villain before holding Loki's wrist firmly. The wards looked like they had been burned in with a hot brand along the delicate fish-belly white underside, from elbow to palm. Taking a deep breath, Bruce pressed the scalpel down hard a few centimetres from the topmost burn and pulled down towards him, leaving a weeping cut. He watched Loki carefully while dabbing away the most obscuring blood but the pale immortal hadn't so much as twitched. The silver blade made another incision just below the bottom ward, half an inch above the crook of his elbow. Another long laceration mirror the first one and the triangle was finished with a slash just under the heel of the god's hand. By then, blood had pooled in Loki's palm and elbow, coating Bruce's hand and turning the jungle floor into a muddy mess. The scalpel was warped beyond use from his tough hide and a second, slightly smaller one was quickly fished out of the med kit.

"Are you sure you don't need the morphine?" The doctor chewed his lip. It was easier to think of the wards as diseased, or he'd realise he was mutilating a healthy arm.

Loki raised one elegant eyebrow and snorted around the gag, giving his arm a little shake as if to say get on with it. Bruce reluctantly hooked the scalpel underneath a slit and smoothly severed the skin's connection with the muscle. The arm quivered slightly in his hold and he saw the god flinch out of the corner of his eye. Within a minute the skin was peeled neatly off in one piece and dropped. Loki had snapped through the gag and distracted himself by turning the splinters into paste.

"It's done, Loki," Bruce said quietly. "You can open your eyes."

Loki squinted down at his arm and glared at the doctor. Bruce forced himself to observe the exposed flesh closely and saw the wards, faintly imprinted into the muscle. They were just dark enough to stand out amongst the pink and red tissue. The god of mischief waved for him to continue.

"If I cut any deeper I'll damage the muscle tissue." Bruce protested. Loki pulled the decimated sock out of his mouth and spat out ground wood.

"If you stop now I won't get another chance. Nothing mortals have made will pierce my skin after I heal and I will need at least some of my strength to find those who wronged me- wronged all of Midgard! Who is to say this failure has stopped them? Would you risk the Chitauri's return, doctor?" He shoved the sock back in and closed his eyes, thrusting the injured arm under Bruce's nose.

He felt ill, but grabbed Loki's wrist and carefully carved out the wards with short, jerky motions while avoiding as much veins as possible. Thick slabs of flesh plopped onto the red ground, which had turned into a puddle that soaked his pants through. He had gotten two of the six wards before Loki started to whimper. The gag was beyond use and the god had bitten clean through his lip. The young Asgardian was screaming by the fourth ward, and barely conscious when Bruce, gagging, hacked out the last one. His arm looked like it had been chewed on by a grizzly bear, but the wards were mercifully gone. To Bruce's amazement and relief, the wounds stopped bleeding like Loki had said they would and it seemed to him that the maimed flesh was repairing on it's own. He disinfected it and wrapped it in gauze anyway before dragging the collapsed god clear of the pool they had made. The med kit was rearranged and returned to the pack while the two ruined scalpels were rapped in the sock scraps and buried.

Exhaustion from the hike and impromptu surgery caught up to him and Bruce put his head on the bag to take a quick nap before Loki woke up. The buzz of flies and distant croak of frogs filled the silence following Loki's cries and lulled the doctor to sleep in the late morning heat.


	3. Chapter 3

It was nighttime when Bruce woke up again. He had been dreaming of that kwabaegi, and he released with a start that he hadn't eaten since Loki had essentially kidnapped him. Bugs had settled thick over his red hands and soaked pants while the bloody puddle was a shimmering cloud of flies. The bag under his head was shaking insistently and Banner rooted through it blindly until his groping hands found his buzzing cell phone. The bright screen burned his eyes for several minutes before he could make out the message.

Seen n yur area

SHLD sendin cap for backp

ETA tomoro

Stay safe

Bruce cursed and raised the phone, lighting up the meadow. Loki was still curled up a few feet away from the red mud and even a questing snake across his damaged arm didn't rouse the god. From where he was, Bruce could see Loki's face relaxed in true sleep. He looked less pale and starved, to Bruce's relief. He had been more than a little worried that his 'patient' would be dead when he woke.

The doctor couldn't guess how long Loki would still be asleep. Steve would be at least twelve hours, but when he arrived at Seoul it wouldn't take long to find out Loki was with Bruce and could track them through the cell phone. Well, Tony could track them, and Bruce had no way of convincing his friend that Loki was innocent.

If he was innocent, he thought to himself. Bruce had no evidence outside of Loki's word, and everyone knew how good an actor the god of lies could be. He started to sweat when he realised that Loki wasn't powerless anymore, and anything the mad god did would be his fault.

The doctor bit his hand nervously before remembering it was crawling with bugs and blood. His phone was in his other hand, smeared with sweat-dampened gore. He could tell Tony where Loki was, activating the tracker, and try to trick the god of mischief for half a day until someone could catch up. Or he could earn the other's trust by letting Loki chase down the Chitauri and turn him over afterwards to prove his innocence.

Or he could leave his phone in the bloody clearing and help Loki's revenge.

He turned the phone over and over in his hand, sitting in the dark. Loki's soft chuffing broke the constant drone and birds had started an early dawn chorus to encourage the dark east.

Hesitantly, Bruce wrote and deleted several texts before settling on his message.

I'm so sorry Tony.

Something's not right, I think he's innocent.

We're going after the Chitauri.

Please trust me.

He took a picture of the sleeping, injured god and waited for Loki to start stirring to hit send. The phone was left in a shallow grave with the scalpels and sock. They ate a scant breakfast, packed up, and abandoned the grisly scene in silence.

Loki lead them north for an hour before talking. "There is a sky-path to Alfhiem here, I can sense it now. If I break the path before we reach the Landing, we will be between worlds. It is the last thing I remember, so the Chitauri must be there." The god unraveled the bandage, revealing a terribly scarred but healed arm. He flexed his hand and ran his thin fingers up and down the mutilated skin. "Thank you for your aid, Dr. Banner. I do not expect you to follow me any further. It will be a dangerous endeavor." Loki paused and observed the doctor thoughtfully. "However, if you do, you will be greatly rewarded once I remove the other wards on the Chitauri home-planet." He smirked hungrily at the thought.

"Rewarded? What do you mean?" Alarm bells rung in Bruce's head at that sick grin, but his natural curiosity pushed him.

"I am the greatest magic-wielder you will ever meet. I can remove your beast, if you wish."

He very, very much wished it. To live without fear of the Hulk tearing apart the people he loved. To no longer control himself with an iron grip. He wouldn't have to be the only sober person at Tony's parties. "You can do that?"

"Of course. I could separate the beast's mind from yours and destroy it, or move it to a proper host if preferred. Unfortunately, I can only do it once the Chitauri have been dealt with." Loki's smile was sly. Bruce wanted to claim to have helped enough to deserve the reward already before remembering that the second set of anti-magic wards were still branded into Loki's left arm. If the god was going to poke around inside his head, it would be best for him to be at his peak.

"Fine, we deal with the Chitauri, we break the other wards, you take me back here and get rid of the Hulk." The Other Guy growled sleepily in the back of his mind but made no jump for control; he didn't take the threat seriously. Loki extended his hand and Bruce had hardly touched it when he was jerked violently. His eyes slammed shut at a wave of vertigo, and when they opened all he could see was Loki's gleaming green eyes.

"What- where-" Bruce spun around, stumbling. Panic rose when Loki's eyes vanished to his left and reappeared on the right. It took several seconds to realise he had turned a complete circle.

"We are in the Void, the Abyss." Loki snapped his fingers and the darkness receded a ways. Fifteen feet in every direction was illuminated by an unseen light-source, and the ground withered away from the glow. It looked like worms made of ink thrashing and crawling away as fast as they could, leaving cold, pocked stone behind. A few screamed helplessly under their feet and shriveled after twenty seconds of light exposure.

"You couldn't warn me?!"

"Ignorance is bliss, Dr. Banner. Would it help if you knew we traveled in a realm of demons to get here, too fast for them or us to note?"

"No! Er, yes! I- Did we really?"

Loki laughed. "Of course not, that would be silly. The demons are in this realm, not the one we traveled through."

"Lovely." Bruce sighed, adjusting his glasses nervously. The dark worms had fled into the surrounding black, but he thought he could hear them, screeching, just outside the circle of light. "How are we going to find the Chitauri? Can you make it any lighter?"

"The light is how we will catch those void-crawlers." Loki stretched his arms over his head, walking along the light's edge. "This is a lure they can't ignore. I am certain it is how they found me before. More light, however, is not advisable. I do not know what all inhabits the space in-between worlds and I would hate to catch a titan's attention."

They waited in silence for several minutes before Bruce asked something that had been sitting heavy on his mind. "Thor said you broke the Bifrost and fell during a fight. Is that true?"

"I broke the Bifrost?" Loki huffed childishly. "Thor broke it. And I did not fall during the fight; I jumped." He sat down in the middle of the circle, entertaining himself by changing the light's colour with a thought.

Bruce sat down a few feet away, watching the magic show with interest. "Okay, but why? He never said what lead up to it all, just that you were attacking another realm."

"I attacked Jotunhiem, a desolate, ice-coated realm belonging to savages that hate Aesir nearly as much as Aesir hate Jötnar. Asgard and Jotunhiem have been at war for thousands of years." To Banner's surprise, it started snowing. The little flakes disappeared before reaching his skin, and didn't build up or fall like snow should. He figured it must be another illusion. "I was taught to see a Jötun as a beast of incomparable cruelty and bloodlust, a monster. The children of Asgard are trained to fight with dummies shaped like Frost Giants, and are told they would kill us and destroy all the realms if not for the might of Odin-king."

"You don't still believe that, do you?" Bruce held his breath, hoping Loki wouldn't take offence and leave, taking the light with him.

"I've seen no evidence against it." The snow fell thicker, the mortal could almost feel it melt against his skin. "Every Jötun I have seen proved itself treacherous and immoral."

"Then why didn't you attack them earlier, if your so certain? What was the breaking point?"

Loki smiled, but it was not a happy smile. "Why, I found out I was one of them. Funny really, that I didn't notice before. It would explain things, wouldn't it? How different I look, how different I act, how different I feel. I am kæra hveðrungr."

Bruce couldn't hope to repeat what Loki had said, but tried anyway. "Key-kayra- what?"

"Kæra hveðrungr, an accused monster. Asgard gave me a fair trial, and that was their verdict." Loki stilled, peering intently into the darkness. "We are no longer alone."

A hunched grey figure hovered just within the light's glow. It raised it's twisted hand, spreading the bird-claw fingers out like it hoped to cup the light and batted innocently at the fake snow. Pale eyes reflected with utter fascination, and only once it has observed the light at a length did it turn it's attention to Loki and Bruce. It's reptilian face split in a surprisingly human expression of shock before racing away, wailing into the dark.

"O-okay, they found us, now what?" Bruce pulled off his shirt and stuffed it into the pack as more and more eyes appeared just outside Loki's circle. He figured the Hulk would be more useful than Doctor Bruce Banner and Loki was using his remaining spare.

"Now we let them take us." Loki let the light fade until it barely illuminated his own skin. Bruce felt a stab of fear.

"What if they mind-control you or whatever they did last time?!"

"About that, I lied." The god of mischief winked and bared a hint of teeth in a devilish grin. "I remember these creatures catching me. In fact, they had me nearly a month before my memory failed me. And now, I have aid."

"Why should I believe anything you say now?"

"Because I am your only hope of returning to Midgard."

Bruce was livid at being used and only just prevented the Other Guy from taking over. He should have sold Loki out in Seoul, but he had lost his chance now, and Loki was right; he had no other way home. The Chitauri closed in around them in a grey wave, chittering and gabbering. They let the creatures guide them through the darkness. Loki was the only thing visible, with his faintly glowing skin and unearthly green eyes. He was smiling, and his white fangs gleamed ravenously. The Chitauri ran their strange hands up and down the shining god, enamoured by the light. They didn't appear to remember him from before, and barely spared any attention for the doctor.

Stumbling over the unseen ground, Bruce was taken by surprise when the rock changed to metal and sloped steadily up.

"A ship?" He asked in a whisper. Loki gave a slight nod, but didn't extend the light to let him see. "Do you actually have a plan?"

"Yes," The sorcerer didn't bother lowering his voice and his words echoed eerily up and down the hall over the click-click-click of Chitauri feet. "Let them put me in a cell, take me to their home planet, remove the other wards, and show these scum the wrath of a god."

Bruce couldn't think of a proper reply and they lapsed again into silence. The Chitauri pushed them further into the ship and, after a long argument composed of shrieks and skirmishes, reluctantly left Loki and Banner in a crude cell. The metal around them shivered slightly and the doctor guessed the ship had started moving.

"How are we going to get the other wards out?" Bruce asked tiredly. Loki was still faintly illuminated and Bruce tried to focus on him, to ignore the utter darkness. He couldn't even tell how big the room was. "I don't have anything."

"You no longer have the med kit, Dr. Banner?"

Bruce reached his left hand over his right shoulder and was surprised to feel the scratchy wool of his camping blanket. Somehow, he couldn't imagine his battered bag sticking with them after everything. "Huh, I guess I do. I don't know if I can do... that again though."

"No matter. I don't suppose you would possess anything capable of carving them out now, in any rate. Luckily, I have this." Loki smirked and pulled a short Chitauri blade out of his borrowed shirt. He tossed the knife to Bruce.

"Where did you get that?" He caught it, stowing the dagger in the folds of the blanket.

"Did you think I would allow some illr dýr to paw me without reason? Those fiends were so entranced by the slightest glimmer of light I could have gutted a score of them before they noticed." Loki sneered in disgust.

Bruce doubted he could have let the Chitauri fondle him without throwing up or Hulking out. "Then why didn't you?"

"This craft will take us to their home. I am uncertain as to how much damage it will do to release my magic, but I shall have to burn off plenty of power and it seems the best place for it." Loki settled down with his back to the wall, long legs stretched out in front of him. He smiled. "Besides, who says the Chitauri were behind the attack? You have seen those crawling worms, are they masterminds capable of controlling me?"

Bruce mulled it over, feeling with his hands for the wall."I- I guess not. But then why murder them? They are just foot-soldiers, following command." His hand touched metal and he slid blindly down until he hit the ground. Loki snorted, flashing his sharp white teeth.

"Foot-soldiers they are, but certainly not blameless. I mentioned they had me for nearly a month, and their hands were not idle nor clean. And dear doctor, it is not murder to squash stinging bugs."

Those words reminded Bruce of a security video he had watched over six months ago of this same god saying something about ants and boots. "How much of what you say can I believe? You lied about your memory, you lied about the Chitauri controlling you, how can I trust anything you say?"

"I am a god, Dr. Banner, regardless of how you view me. I have lived over a thousand winters, and barring being mortally wounded I shall live to see several thousand more. I ask you to contemplate how little meaning your brief disbelief holds. I have lied to greater, older and vastly more powerful beings then you." There was a truly angry note in Loki's eyes now, and Bruce remembered belatedly the conversation they had over Loki's dishonesty before. It seemed to be a hot-button issue for the young god. "What is true and what is not should not concern you; think only of how you will rot in the unending darkness if you fail to know your place!"

"... Is that something Thor said?" Bruce knew he should have kept his fat mouth shut even before he said it, but somehow things didn't seem capable of getting worse. He was imprisoned on a enemy alien ship with a stick-thin, pale as new snow, and magically crippled mad god.

Loki didn't reply, but got some petty revenge by closing his eyes and letting the dimmest of glows die, leaving Banner to stew in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hveðrungr- monster or Roarer, nickname for Loki  
> Illr dýr- ugly beast


	4. Chapter 4

Bruce hadn't been aware of falling asleep after a hasty lunch that he pointedly did not share; there was no visible difference between opening or closing his eyes with Loki remaining stubbornly shadowed, but time seemed to have past and the faint hum of the ship's engine grew louder as the ground shook. Entering an alien atmosphere, Bruce figured. He was probably the very first human to have felt turbulence in the void. The thought would have comforted him more if he knew for certain that he'd get home to talk about it.

Having spent the last few hours in darkness, Bruce nearly leapt out of his skin when two glowing eyes and a gleaming Cheshire grin appeared a few feet to his left.

"We're here." Loki whispered. "There will be a prison they will take us to. The remaining wards can be taken down there."

Bruce was relieved to have something to look at and talk to again. "What will happen when we remove them?" He thought about how Thor was so proud of Asgard's golden palace, always droning on over it but never once mentioned that it was caused by a scared little boy who couldn't control his magic.

"I don't know." Loki seemed almost nervous. "It was different when I was a child. I wasn't-" The young god paused.

"Angry all the time?" Banner offered. He knew how it felt, and he could see it in others. Every breath was an annoyance, every word scraped across your skin. Bruce had heard a quote a long time ago that had stuck with him; 'I wish all the scum of the earth had one throat and I had my hands about it.' When angry people had power, they tended to use it to fuel their anger.

There was a shuffle from Loki's corner.

"There was that, yes," The turbulence grew worse and the engine whined as it was pulled down by gravity. "I tried to turn stone to gold again, after that. I never seemed to get the hang of it. It would remain stone on the inside, or refuse to soften as gold does. There are things magic only does for itself; I may turn the entire planet to cheese and never find out how."

There was a massive clanging from below them as the ship shuddered to a stop. Loki lit up again as the door opened and the Chitauri pulled them out of their cell. Bruce was a little disappointed when the exited the ship and found the only difference between the crater they had appeared on and the Chitauri home-world was that there was sand under-foot rather than rock. There was no lights, though Banner could tell there were metal buildings nearby because of how the chittering and screeching bounced around. It made it hard to tell where anything was, save Loki, and Bruce accidentally bumped into several void-crawlers, getting nasty bruises in retaliation. When he looked up, he could see distant lights too far to illuminate the surroundings and it wasn't until one climbed up the horizon that he realised they were massive creatures with bio-luminescence along their sides. The lights weren't too far, simply too small. It was long, with a broad reptilian head that could only be seen by the lit up scales down it's muzzle.

"Stjarna hvalr," Loki murmured. Bruce couldn't take his eyes of it but made a small confused noise. "A star whale. It looks more like a snake to me, of course, but alas it seems stuck with the name."

"It's beautiful." Banner sighed happily. He could just barely make out it's scaled belly as it crossed a few kilometres above them. The Chitauri flattened themselves to the sandy ground, gibbering quietly and fearfully. "Is it- does it eat meat?"

Loki snorted as he dulled himself again to avoid being seen. "What else is there to eat in the Void but each-other?" The star whale continued along the curve of the world, casting about blindly and waiting for something smaller and dumber to climb into its mouth. "It works like a... an angler fish. If it's lucky, it will bump into another hvalr to eat and leave us alone."

The star whale's long tail scraped over the end of the world and the void-crawlers picked themselves up with plenty of chattering to themselves. Loki brightened up as they resumed their forced march into one of the unseen buildings. The god seemed to amuse himself by having the Chitauri walk into walls, too focused on the light to pay attention.

Finally, they were guided into a new cell and left alone again. The Chitauri could be heard just outside arguing and squabbling.

"What are they fighting about?"

"Some of them want to keep me as a pet," Loki answered calmly, cleaning void-dust out from under his fingernails. He paused to listen more closely. "The rest want to gift me to... annarr? No, not another, the Other." Loki scowled darkly and his eyes flashed angrily. "That is who was behind it." The temperature of the cell plummeted and Bruce pulled his blanket out of his pack, wrapping himself tightly and shivering. He searched briefly for his shirt, but it looked like it was dislodged during the march there. The knife had gotten caught in the blanket and he quickly untangled it and set it down beside him.

Loki allowed the light to drop completely again but didn't lift the cold.

Bruce sat down on his pack, arms wrapped around his legs with his blanket bundled around him, thinking. He wondered if Steve had gotten to Korea yet. He wondered if Tony was desperately searching every corner of the world. He wondered if Fury was secretly relieved. He wondered what Loki was thinking. Now that he had seen the star whales, he wasn't so certain either of them could take down the Chitauri. He didn't really want to be responsible for genocide either, even if they had invaded earth.

"Can you remember anything about the Other?" Bruce asked to break the silence.

"...make you long for something sweet as pain..." Loki sounded very small. His barely visible eyes stared out into the distance. "Cut out the wards, Dr. Banner."

"I," Bruce searched blindly for a moment before picking the Chitauri blade up and swallowing. "I need light." And sterilised equipment, and maybe a hug. Loki obediently lit up the room with a wave, revealing gore-stained, dull black metal walls and a red sandy floor. Bruce pulled Loki's left arm into his lap and hesitantly pressed the dagger down. It was much faster and cleaner this time, Loki healing the craters after each ward was tossed into the corner. Banner paused on the last one.

"You won't turn me into a frog, right?" Bruce joked weakly. "I spend too much time being green anyway." Loki blinked owlishly at him.

"A frog would be useless to me. Perhaps a dragon." He belatedly added a feeble smile before gesturing at the remaining ward. Bruce drew a deep breath and quickly hacked away. He heard the chunk of branded flesh slip to the ground and braced himself.

Nothing happened. The cold arm in his lap slipped away silently.

He risked opening one eye.

Loki had stood up slowly, the light growing thicker and thicker around him. The god rolled his shoulders and a breezy laugh like a bell ringing escaped him. "What should I cast, my dear doctor?"

"D- er- I-" Bruce sputtered from the ground. An idea struck him. "Uh, grow?" He asked hopefully. "Grass and plants and trees with fruit. Eden." Create, he thought, don't destroy, make something with your power.

The god of fire and mischief smiled.

Magic does not always do want is asked of it. After so long bound and helpless, watching the world through hateful, pain-blinded eyes, it wanted freedom; it wanted to fill ever corner of Yggdrasil. It started in the roots, in the Void.

The lifeless land grew grass. Bushes, flowers, trees, and weeds grew in a matter of seconds and quickly covered the sandy planet in a thick rug of glowing green. But the magic wasn't done. It spread to the nearest planets, it passed them to the farthest star. Lichen grew on the star whales and moss crawled up the confused and fearful Chitauri.

It caught the attention of everything crawling, flying, walking and oozing through the Void. Somewhere else entirely, it drew the golden eyes of Heimdall.

And then it paused. There was nothing more that could be grown, but the magic wasn't done. It turned alien metal to rich earth and grew more. It ran out of earth again, so it turned the rock to earth; that ran out, so it turned the Chitauri to earth and grew off them.

To Bruce, it started innocently. Vines crawled up the walls, grass clung to the sand, the temperature rose, all illuminated by the blazing core of magic. Then the walls rusted and crumbled, the confused gibbering of the Chitauri turned to shrieks. Banner could see a group of guards through the broken wall stumbling desperately around. Moss grew on their arms and backs, spreading rapidly until it reached their mouths. He shivered as he felt vines nip harmlessly at his ankles, though they went no further.

That's when the screaming stopped and all Bruce could hear was the rustle of growing things and the gargle of Chitauri choking on their dirt tongues. It made him feel sick.

Loki sighed happily as the rush of magic faded, "And now," He murmured, a soft guileless smile on his pale face, "For the Other."

"You just.. Just destroyed an entire race." Bruce stood shakily, nearly falling over his backpack as he stepped back. Loki wrinkled his forehead, giving the doctor a confused and innocent look. "Don't you feel anything?"

"Of all the races I've attempted to destroy, this one deserved it the most." Loki offered with a sharp smirk. He didn't need Banner anymore, and they both knew it. "This is what I planned since the beginning, dear doctor. I never hid that from you."

Bruce felt the anger rush over his fear. He was so, so, so close to being free of the Hulk, if he allowed himself only a single moment of selfishness he could return home and live the rest of his life without SHIELD breathing down his neck.

But he was an Avenger. Maybe even a hero. Banner sighed wearily and bid farewell to all hope. "You're a liar, Loki."

The god bristled, stepping towards the mortal threateningly.

"Not because people say you are," Bruce added before he was turned to jelly or thrown off the planet. "Not because people said you're a monster and belief the worst of you. It because you think you are. You could be a superhero, you could end world hunger and poverty with your magic, but instead you- you-" Bruce swallowed fearfully as Loki loomed over him. The god's youthful face was absolutely blank, so blank it sucked in emotion around it like a black hole. "You hide behind what you are because you're too afraid to be what you could be." Banner squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the imminent smiting.

There was no noise, save the sound of Bruce breathing heavily. He opened his eyes again. Loki hadn't moved. He seemed to be thinking.

"I could leave you here. Alone, blind, even your green beast couldn't save you." His voice was level and smooth. It said nothing about how he felt.

"Then you'll never change. You'll always be a villain." Bruce's voice shook a little. Loki remained silent. "Thor talks about how he misses his little brother," Frost built up on the new plants, but Loki's face didn't change. "Don't you miss your home?"

"I have no home." The god spoke so quietly that Banner only caught it because of the heavy, silent atmosphere.

"Then you could come back to earth- to Midgard." Bruce felt cautiously optimistic seeing as he was still in one piece. "The Avengers could help you track down the Other. You don't have to be alone-"

"If I went with you," Loki spoke like he was afraid he'd fall apart. "I would be imprisoned. I am so close to finally being free."

Bruce had worked with hurt children before. They didn't all act alike, some acted up, some withdrew in to themselves, some struck out. He tried something that usually helped with them.

Bruce stepped forwards warily and embraced Loki. The young god was cold and stiff as ice but very slowly thawed out. Two spindly hands hesitantly met Banner's back, but there was no pressure. They were both somehow scared of breaking the other.

The frost melted off the plants and Bruce felt like he could breath again without losing a lung.

"Let's go to earth." Bruce suggested gently when Loki seemed to have recovered.

"No," He said tiredly. "I can't leave the Other alive. He will come back for me and I doubt I could escape again." The young god couldn't meet the mortal's eyes.

"Escape?"

"I am a master tactician. Why in the Nine would I launch an invasion of void-breathing aliens on earth?" Loki straightened out his tattered shirt before changing it into a clean tunic with a thought. "Why would I not open the wormhole on earth's moon? Why would I purposely place myself in danger and provoke my enemies? I am no fool and have fought many battles over my lifetime."

Bruce's jaw dropped. He hadn't thought about that. Thor hadn't thought about it. Just how much control did Loki have during the Invasion?

"You, however, may return. I will free you of you beast and continue the hunt on my own." Loki raised his hand to open a portal. Banner grabbed his wrist, shocking the Aesir into meeting Bruce's gaze for a brief moment.

"I'm coming with you." It slipped out before Bruce could think properly, but Loki seemed very vulnerable and small when he looked into the god's eyes. "Just the Other left, right? You might need the Hulk."

Loki's lip twitched into a tiny hopeful smile. "If you must," He said grandly, holding onto the remains of his pride. He freed his wrist from Bruce's grip and carefully burned a small door into the air. Banner could see the glowing plants below, above and around it, but inside the shoulder high doorway was empty darkness. "If it's much bigger, things could sneak through." Loki explained at the mortal's annoyed look. "Just don't bump your head off the top. You might lose it." The god winked and ducked through, vanishing into the shadows.

Bruce bit his lip and followed carefully after him.


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce noticed the drop in heat immediately. Loki had thoughtfully lit up their surroundings again but didn't seem to have even noticed the cold. The ground had grass, thick and glowing slightly, and Banner realised with surprise that Loki's magic had spread past the Chitauri home-world.

"You remember where to find the Other?" Bruce asked as he pulled a few grass blades and tucked it into his pants pocket. Loki sneered at the dim gloom, putting his shields back in place.

"No, I don't remember much of it at all, only pieces and faint dreams." Loki looked at Bruce out of the corner of his eye before adding, "Honestly." Banner nodded trustfully. He was too exhausted to be doubtful just yet. "But the magic I used has without doubt caught something's attention. If I recall correctly, this is where the Chitauri took me before."

Loki sat down in the magical grass and listened to the ink-worms burrowing happily underneath the new dirt. In a hundred years time, perhaps new things would grow and herbivores would evolve. The plants provided their own lights and drank the magic that pooled between the world tree's roots. The god smiled and vowed to check in every once and awhile to see how things went.

After a few moments of silence, Bruce cleared his throat. "How far did your magic go?"

"I don't think it's stopped yet. Perhaps it never will." Loki straightened his back and stretched his legs out in front of him. He felt lighter then he had in years and, for once, hardly minded the presence of another being at all. It was ruined slightly by the itch of impending doom, but Loki had gotten used to the feeling by now. He was certain the Other was lurking somewhere on the floating rock, waiting to see what Loki would do. The Chitauri were a parasite species, they depended on the leadership and technology of others, but the Other was smarter. Smart enough to realise that Loki knew he was there.

There was a faint rustling as the Other grew bored of watching Bruce pull up grass and Loki play with a summoned moth. "I see you've returned," He hissed from outside the ring of light. Banner shot to his feet while Loki growled. "You failed, Loki. What did I tell you would happen?"

'Sweet as pain', Bruce thought to himself.

The same words had run through Loki's head. " 'He will make you long for something sweet as pain.' Who would make me suffer?" Loki rose gracefully and looked down at the Other. "Certainly not you." The Other's bared teeth gleamed oily in the darkness. Bruce could see where his feet were because of the shadow of crushed grass but the rest of the creature was hidden.

"You are nothing but a dog, Loki," The Other spat, circling around silently. Banner watched the shadowed feet intently to keep sight of it. "You were nothing without us. You could have had whatever realm you wished." Loki's ring of light doubled without warning, revealing the Other. He was mostly covered in a long, midnight blue robe. Only his teeth were visible inside the hood. It reminded Bruce a bit of the Orcs from Lord of the Rings. He didn't think it would appreciate the comparison.

"Ah, that's why you used the Mind gem, then?" Loki smirked. There was a Chitauri blade in his hand. "Tell me who is responsible, and I will let you go."

"Liar." Another Loki appeared silently behind the Other with the Chitauri blade. Bruce snuck a look to the first Loki's hand and noticed he was suddenly unarmed.

The Other noticed too. It spun on it's heels suddenly, catching Loki's hand as the god stuck and easily drove the dagger down into Loki's stomach. Loki gasped weakly, meeting the eyes of his shocked clone who shimmered and vanished. Bruce willed himself to step forward but felt numb inside. It was anticlimactic, it was unfair. Bruce wouldn't be able to go home or show Loki that he could be a hero.

Then the Other smiled. It let Loki fall limply to the ground and laughed as it turned to meet Bruce's stunned gaze. The Other stepped towards him, kicking Loki's twitching body as he went. "Thanos never should have bothered with that run-"

It cleared its throat.

It closed and opened its mouth.

It slowly brought one deformed hand to it's covered neck before toppling gently over. Banner knelt cautiously down to see better and spotted a clear, bloodied icicle had pierced its windpipe. Bruce eyed the darkness warily and noticed distantly that Loki's 'body' had disappeared.

"Loki?" He called hopefully. His voice echoed dangerously. Something Loki-shaped stepped out of the shadows. Shaped, but not Loki-coloured. "Er, why are you blue?"

Loki blinked. "Hmm?"

"You're blue." Bruce repeated thoughtfully. Loki shook his head and scratched at his hand.

"Oh, oh, yes," The god reconstructed his Aesir disguise and frowned. "Thanos..."

Banner decided not to ask why Loki had changed colours. As far as he knew, it could be some weird god battle thing. "Who is Thanos?"

"The Mad Titan." Loki whispered. "He seeks the destruction of the World Tree as offering to the Goddess of Helhiem."

"O-kay, so he's crazy. The Avengers deal with crazy every day." Bruce tried to sound confident, but he was worried. Loki looked frightened. He had been calm approaching the Chitauri, he'd kept his head in the short 'battle' with the Other, but now the young god was scared.

"Thanos slew his own people. He seeks the hand of Death herself and cares little for who he strikes down. He is stronger, faster and smarter then anyone in Asgard or Midgard." Loki's eyes flashed and the fear drained from his face, replaced by rage. "He is responsible."

Bruce had a fondness for books, even fantasy, though he felt he got enough monsters and magic without reading about it. One of his favourite books had a young woman named Susan who beat up monsters with fire-pokers and said 'Don't get afraid, get angry.'

It was stupid advice for him, but it seemed to work with Loki. The god of mischief thought about the months he had lost to the Mad Titan and scowled.

"You truly believe the... Avengers would help me?"

Bruce face split into a wide, slightly disbelieving, smile. He was doing it. He was rehabilitating one of the most infamous super-villains ever, a ma- a god that could feed masses, perform miracles and save more lives than the rest of them put together. He could rub it in Tony's face for years.

"I'm sure they would."

Tony was desperate. Bruce had been missing for three days and his last text ran through Stark's head every waking moment.

Something's not right,

Rogers had found Bruce's cell buried in a bloody field. It was a terse few hours before the labs could confirm it was all Loki's.

I think he's innocent.

The mad god and his hostage hadn't returned to civilisation since and even though the entire team (save for Bruce, of course) searched Korea secretly corner to corner, all they found was that North Korea lied about their nuclear warheads.

We're going after the Chitauri.

Tony was looking at the picture Bruce sent him. He had run it through every system, blown it up, shrunk it down, counted the pixels and even showed it to Fury's lackeys. It was real, it might even be Loki.

The god was sleeping, one blood-soaked and bandaged arm pulled tightly against his chest. He looked small, young, hurt. Thor nearly cried when he saw it and threw his lot with Bruce.

Please trust me.

Tony was sent home part way through the second day, ordered to try Bruce's old Tesseract-tracking trick on the off-chance it would pick up Loki. Stark was practical enough to set up Foster's tracking system as well and asked the astronomer to keep an eye out for wormholes.

Thor joined Tony not long after with a cheap shopping bag.

"What's that?" Tony asked listlessly. Thor pulled something pink and red out roughly the size of Stark's fist.

It was a chunk of human flesh.

"Eeeeww! Get that out of here!" Tony squealed, suddenly awake. He covered his mouth with a oily rag.

Thor turned it over and tapped a blackish brand on the skin side. "This is a magical ward." The thunder god said dully. "My brother was branded with twelve upon imprisonment. Six were in the kingdom of Korea. That is why Loki took Doctor Banner. He needed a healer to remove them for him."

Stark removed the rag because the smell of diesel was making him light-headed. He looked a bit closer and gagged. "You mean you're dad ordered his men to brand his son?"

Thor nodded guilelessly. "It was to prevent Loki's... inevitable escape." He sighed heavily. Truthfully, the wards had hardly slowed the master sorcerer down.

"You lot knew that crazy bastard would escape?" Tony cried incredulously.

"Few things can hold my brother indefinitely, Tony." The last time Loki had been captured for more then two years, it had been at the threat of his little Váli's life. The young boy had been turned into a gold chain, thin and weak, and draped over Loki. It would have been easy for the smallest, feeblest creature to break them and Loki would not even have to try.

So he kept very, very still for five long years, despite unending pain.

But even gods sneezed sometimes.

Thor hadn't even considered how horrifying it was until he had seen how humans treated each-other. Some abused, neglected, hated and even ate their own kin. Even more blessed, aided and sympathised with complete strangers. Naive as he was, Thor could tell Tony wasn't happy with the thought of Odin branding Loki, a god that Stark had only seen the worst of. He dreaded to image how the inventor would react if he knew the fate of Loki's children from a time when the mischief god's only crimes was foolish pranks and womanly practices.

"No, my father knew Loki would free himself somehow, even bound as he was." Thor gently placed the ward back into the bag and wrapped it up. He would burn it the first chance he got; dark magic could be preformed with it that the world could do without. "I had hoped mother and I could convince him to show remorse before he left. Every time I asked of him, Loki would claim innocence to his actions here. I... grew enraged at his vehemence within a month and refused to visit him again."

"So you really think he's innocent too?" Tony grumbled, dropping the rag on the floor.

"Innocent of New York, yes. Even Loki would not deny the crimes he committed against Jotunhiem." Thor sat down beside the mortal and shifted uncomfortably before clearing his throat. "I think," The thunder god paused, considering his words before saying them. It took him a moment to line his thoughts up correctly, he had little practice. "I think Asgard is not good for Loki. We have remained largely unchanged for many, many years, but Loki wants to change all the time. He comes up with new spells, new inventions, new words and has since we were children. Midgard, however-"

"Whoa, hey, I am not taking in your insane little brother!" Tony yelped, standing up. "New York would string me up, Loki would throw me off my own tower again-"

Something started flashing on Stark's screen. Thor turned to it curiously. "Tony-"

"He's crazy and violent and maybe a bit hot and he kidnapped Bruce-"

It was a map with a little blimp flashing on and off over Stark tower. "Tony-"

"And we can't find them anywhere-

"Anthony!"

"What?!" Tony finally turned his attention to Thor who gestured wildly to the screen. Someone laughed, clear and smooth as glass. As one, Thor and Tony turned around nervously.

A rather battered and bloodied (and shirtless) Bruce waved cheerfully at them. Lurking behind him, a roughed-up Loki smiled. "Hello, dear brother."


	6. Chapter 6

Thor looked at Loki and took a hesitant step forwards.

Loki raised one eyebrow and crossed his blood-stained arms.

Bruce cleared his throat, adjusting glasses covered in void-dust.

"This is really awkward, should we attack each-other or something?" Tony groused. "Where did you go, Bruce?"

"The Void," Banner replied happily. It felt much better to be back on earth and to face the prospect of a Hulk-less life. "It's pretty much just a lot of rock and horrible aliens where light kills you."

"Oh," Tony said. "Ah, I see."

"The Chitauri have been dealt with." Loki lifted his chin with dignity. "As has their leader, the Other."

Thor beamed. "So you can return home, my brother!" His grin wilted a bit at a chilly glare from Loki.

"Thanos was behind the Chitauri's attack," The young god muttered darkly. "Unfortunately, I can't fight him alone. Doctor Banner has assured me that the Avengers," He sneered, "would find it in their hearts to help prevent the death of Yggdrasil."

Thor paled. "Even Father would not risk Asgard against the Mad Titan," The thunder god paused and glanced at the mortals. He knew Midgardians had hidden strengths, but part of the Aesir would always see them as primitive and weak, easily killed in the heat of battle. "Surely... Surely we need not fight him. Thanos's plan has failed-"

"Which simply means he is more experienced and will be smarter with his next plot." Loki hissed angrily. "I cannot leave an enemy such as Thanos standing. He will strike the moment our guard is down-"

"Our?!" Tony squawked. "We haven't even agreed to fight yet!" Tony wondered how he could keep Loki distracted until the rest of the Avengers arrived. JARVIS had undoubtedly already called everyone but Clint was still in Korea while Natasha and Steve were in a SHIELD base just south of Canada.

Bruce coughed pointedly. "I have," He said simply.

"If my brother must fight such a foe, I shall join him." Thor announced.

Stark blinked. "Okay, Thor, I get that, but that crazy bastard kidnapped you, Bruce!" The genius pointed at Banner accusingly. "Stockholm syndrome setting in?"

Bruce shot Loki a look and pulled Tony into a more discreet corner.

"He says he can get rid of the Hulk," He whispered. "And Loki's not nearly as awful and mad as he was before. He's almost human."

"You actually trust him? What if he doesn't remove the Other Guy, he could lie, or cheat, or get rid of you instead-" Tony poked Bruce hard in the side. "C'mon, Bruce, you're smarter then this! He's the god of fucking lies!"

Bruce opened his mouth but couldn't think of what he could say that would convince Tony. It seemed like Loki and Banner had been through hell together and somehow the doctor figured he knew the god of mischief better now then any mortal. He was sick to death of doubting and second guessing Loki and had decided to trust him for now. Perhaps it would backfire. Loki didn't seem to have a history of being believed in to compare.

Something had changed on the Chitauri home planet. Loki seemed almost scared of Banner, scared of how he could hurt him. Being observed as vulnerable made him vulnerable in his own eyes. Loki may be hundreds of years old, but he still didn't know how to handle emotion. It was almost sweet.

"Tony," Bruce sighed. "I believe him. I think Thor does too. Maybe it'll blow up on us. Maybe Loki will trick us again. But there is a mad titan set out on destroying the universe. Even if you don't belief Loki, you have to belief Thor. We can't leave a threat like that running around."

"But we can leave a threat like Loki running around?!" Stark groaned and punched Banner lightly in the shoulder.

Thor and Loki were arguing on the other side of the room in hushed whispers. Every few minutes Loki's eyes would flit rapidly to Bruce and Tony before returning to his brother almost too fast to be seen. Almost too fast.

"Holy shit," Tony's jaw dropped in realisation. "He's making sure you haven't left." He laughed. "A god has a crush on you! Is that why you're half-naked?"

Despite himself, Banner flushed. "I honestly doubt that." He continued with a touch of annoyance. "I think I would notice. Are you a detective now?" He ignored the last comment completely.

"I'm Sherlock Holmes," The billionaire grinned. "Obviously."

The doctor heaved a deep breath and shook his head. "Can we just focus, Tony? There is a serious danger out there."

"There's a serious danger in here! But fine, fine, let's focus on the important bits," Tony's eyes gleamed and he elbowed Banner meaningfully in his bruised ribs.

Bruce stared at him blankly for a minute before huffing. "We hugged. And no, that's not why I'm not wearing a shirt. I didn't want to wreck it if I had to get angry."

"Don't hold out on me!"

"I'm not! We hugged, that's all! Its..." Bruce wasn't entirely sure what it was, "We're friends. I think."

Loki and Thor seemed to have wrapped up their argument and gestured for the mortals to join them.

"Have you come to a decision, Stark?" The god of mischief asked politely.

Tony shared a glance with Bruce and groaned. "Yeah, yeah, temporary truces are in order. Bruce's my friend and I can't go killing his bae."

Banner glared at Stark while Loki tilted his head, confused. "You would kill Doctor Banner's horse?" He pictured a bay mare while Tony snickered into his hand.

"That would be most unkind, friend Tony!" Thor declared with a hidden smile. He had spent more time on Midgard than Loki recently and knew what 'bae' meant, but it was nice to see someone else get teased for being naive just once.

Bruce rolled his eyes and moved on. "The others will probably be here soon. We have to come up with a plan. Steve might listen, but Clint certainly won't and I don't think Natasha will be happy about it either."

"Thor and I have discussed it," Loki filed away a note to find out what 'bae' meant from a reliable source. "We think I should stay out of the room and have Doctor Banner review what has happened in his absence. I doubt my presence would do any good."

The mortals nodded. Even if Loki was honest, it would be hard to convince the agents he was before someone died.

Bruce thought about what Tony had said while the brothers wandered off to another part of the tower.

It was silly to think a thousand year old god would have a crush on Bruce of all people. Loki was probably smarter, definitely faster and stronger (than Bruce), and a prince to boot!

I have lived over a thousand winters, and barring being mortally wounded I shall live to see several thousand more. Loki was essentially immortal. Compared to a human, at least. The Hulk had slowed down Bruce's ageing noticeably but once the Other Guy was gone Banner would just be a human. A smart and skilled one, but short-lived and feeble all the same.

Tony would shoot him knowing, and slightly pitying, looks every other minute. He rambled on a bit about the trouble Bruce had caused them and how worried they had all been as they walked to Tony's 'meeting room', which was the bar Hulk had smashed Loki in. Banner wasn't at all surprised, and even found it a tiny bit funny. Tony asked about the Void, but Bruce brushed him off. He'd have to explain everything to the others anyway, Tony could wait.

The other half of the Avengers arrived not long after, save for Clint. It would be another six hours at least before he could make it, a small relief. The archer would probably take Loki's return the worst.

Steve trotted up first, smiling, and shook Bruce's hand. "Good to see you, Bruce! We thought you were..." He cleared his throat weakly as he trailed off. Banner returned the smile feebly and nodded. Once everyone was settled in with coffee (Steve and Natasha), tea (Bruce) and whiskey ("It's five somewhere!") Bruce told them about the last four days; From Loki hunting him down in Seoul to the Other's anti-climatic fight. Tony listened intently and added the appropriate gasps and oohs he thought every dramatic story needed. Bruce thoughtfully skimmed over Loki's little break-down and kept the descriptions brief unless someone requested more detail. Natasha asked about the exact pattern on Loki's brands and how the magic felt when it filled the Void but otherwise remained silent. Steve was enamoured by the star whales and wished he could see them himself.

When Bruce finished, he sat back and looked closely at his team-mates. Natasha was, as ever, unreadable, while Tony seemed disappointed that there was less sex and alien women involved. Steve was tapping the side of his mug, already sketching out a star whale in his mind. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief; so far, so good.

"So Loki's here?" Natasha asked perceptively. Tony nodded.

"Appeared in the lab about an hour ago. Thor's keeping an eye on him. Apparently, this Thanos guy it a big deal in Asgard." Tony refilled his glass. "Big enough to convince Rudolph to team up with us."

"Hmm," Natasha hummed, looking directly at Bruce. As hard as he tried, the doctor couldn't keep his cheeks from flushing.

"And both of you believe Loki?" Steve pressed, putting his mug on the table. Tony bit an oily thumb before nodding very slowly.

"I don't think we have a choice." The genius said carefully. "Either he's wrong, and we need to keep on eye on goat-man, or he's right, and we could use all the help we can find." Steve and Tony turned to Bruce.

"I believe him," Banner stated without hesitation. "It's been a weird few days, and I think I can trust Loki." Steve frowned, Tony sighed and Natasha laughed.

The three men looked at her, surprised.

She smiled. "I believe him."

Bruce held his breath. "Believe who?"

"You, Loki, it doesn't matter. I think Thanos is a threat. More importantly, I think Loki thinks Thanos is a threat, and I believe Loki will be willing to put aside his issues to deal with it." The others shared a glance and shrugged at one another.

"Alright, but will Clint?" Steve asked seriously. "Can Clint put aside his issues and work with Loki?"

"Let me deal with that."

The Avengers split up again, Steve heading straight for the gym while the Science Bros drifted back towards the lab. Natasha stayed in the meeting room with a fresh cup of coffee and instructions to JARVIS to send Barton to her when he arrived.

It wasn't until they reached the lab that a stiff breeze reminded Bruce that he was shirtless.

"Uh, do you have some clothes I can borrow?" He shivered a bit and rubbed his arms, noticing that his hands were still a rusty red and he had an aura of stink around him. "And a shower."

"Use the emergency decontamination shower," Tony stole Banner's glasses, waving away his protests, and stuck them under a microscope. "I've got a change of clothes in the cupboard beside it. Pepper avoids me if I don't shower weekly."

Bruce stumbled blindly over to the emergency shower (which thankfully had solid tile walls), dropped his pack outside the door and felt around the small room for a cord to pull. He wormed out of his ruined trousers as water blasted him from every side, stripping off layers of dirt and blood. He wondered momentarily if Loki had been offered a shower yet and hastily stopped his train of thought there. The doctor didn't get out until the high pressure, steaming hot water had bruised his bruises and he was one giant wrinkle.

Dressing quickly in the tiny room, Bruce left his sopping wet pants behind and stumbled over to Stark's work-station, swaying slightly. He had trouble balancing without his glasses, which Tony was still enthusiastically observing.

"Why didn't you bring me a present, Brucie?" Tony clucked, casually scrapping void-dust from the glasses to a slide and several vials. "Maybe a 'My best friend went to the Void and all I got was a rotten t-shirt' shirt." He passed the glasses back with a mocking grin.

Banner quickly cleaned the glasses before he suddenly yelped and ran back to the shower. He pulled the pants out, fishing through the pockets and letting out a relieved side when he found what he was looking for. Miraculously dry inside a zip-lock bag that held a ham sandwich nearly a week ago was a handful of glowing grass.

"Is this good enough for you?" Bruce teased, placing the baggy beside the microscope. Tony's eyes widened.

"Magic weed?" He whispered hopefully, lifting the bag like it was a religious artefact.

"N-... No, Tony, it's not weed." The doctor peered a bit closer, just to be sure. "You, uh, you do know what weed looks like, right?"

Stark scowled, clutching the grass closer. "Of course I do, but I don't know what magical marijuana looks like!" He turned the baggy over in his hands, fascinated. The silvery shining glimmered and changed colour depending on what angle it was viewed from; here, it was a mystical purple, but that way, a deep pulsing blue. Bruce noticed with a trace of sadness that the light was dimmer than before.

They spent a few minutes passing the grass back and forth, not daring to open the sealed bag. Who knew what effect so much oxygen would have on it?

"Mr. Loki is approaching the lab, sir." JARVIS interrupted them.

Bruce glanced inquisitively to Tony, who nodded uncertainly. "Let him in."

After a moment of silence, the door quietly opened and an exhausted Loki slipped inside. He was dressed in a simple green tunic and long dark pants. Banner flinched slightly when he caught sight of Loki's mutilated arms. Even magic couldn't fix all that damage in a short time.

The god immediately met Bruce's eyes, who smiled and beckoned him forwards.

"We were just looking over some of the grass you grew." The doctor explained, shaking the baggy. "Do you think it could hold up to some tests?" He wouldn't admit it in-front of a lecherously grinning Tony, but the god's strangely dull and tired eyes worried him.

"Aye- I believe so," Loki sat down in an empty chair a few feet away, showing no interest in the grass or the mortals.

Tony glanced over at Bruce and smiled mischievously. "So, Loki, right? What can you tell us about yourself?"

Banner bit back a groan as Loki just looked confused. He guessed the introverted god didn't have much experience with 'friendly' human small-talk.

Stark continued gleefully. "Favourite colour, job, hobbies, lovers?" His eyebrows waggled obscenely. If his hands had been free, he probably would have added a vulgar gesture for that extra dash of awkward.

Loki thought for a second and answered; "None."

"To which one?" Bruce was curious despite himself as he pulled grass out with tweezers and dropped a blade or two into a dozen fresh vials.

"All of them."

"You have hobbies," Banner protested. "What about magic?"

The young god scowled. "That is not a hobby. I am a master of my craft-"

"Then that's your job," Tony cut in bravely. "Magic."

Loki wavered and sighed. "If it must be so simplified, yes." He watched the two geniuses test the grass with various fluids for a bit before adding; "I have some skill in metalwork. Weapons, jewellery and such."

"That's two," The inventor prompted, pausing long enough to shoot a pleading puppy-dog face to the god, who was unfazed. He had grown up with Thor, after all.

"... I don't have a favourite colour, I'm not a child." Loki growled. He hadn't been for a very long time.

At this, Bruce joined the conversation. "What was it when you were a kid?"

" Green," Loki wanted to put off the last question. He certainly didn't need the Avengers to know anything so personal. Or painful. "No more questions."

Stark opened his mouth to protest but a sharp look from Banner stopped him. The god was nearly asleep in his chair and the inner-healer inside him reared it's stubborn head at the sight.

"What's wrong?" Bruce whispered as Tony bustled across the room to some new machine. Loki attempted to glare, but it melted in the face of Bruce's concern.

"Nothing, doctor." He grumbled. He hated feeling vulnerable, and loathed even more that a mortal could make him so. Loki couldn't give Bruce anymore power over him.

Wisely, Banner backed off after a quick suggestion to rest, but it had already reminded Loki what exactly was bothering him.

Why should Loki care if the Avengers die fighting Thanos?

Well, he didn't really care about most of them. The young god could understand at least why he would mourn Thor's loss as well (they had known one-another for hundreds of years). The 'heart-to-heart' they had on Stark Tower's roof hadn't changed any of Loki's feelings or opinions, but neither had their recent strife or discovering what he really was. Some things are too deeply ingrained to be uprooted, such as the mischief god's exasperated urge to protect his older brother.

What would it matter if Doctor Banner was slain by Thanos? It would merely relieve Loki of his obligation to cure the mortal of his beast and dispose of someone who had seen more then he should have.

Still trying to mentally convince himself, Loki drifted into a tense doze.


	7. Chapter 7

"Omygosh, that's adorable." Tony laughed teasingly. He kept his voice just above a whisper. If Loki heard him and woke up, Bruce would kill him. Then the god would raise him from the dead and kill him. Then maybe he'd give Bruce another chance to kill him, as a honeymoon present.

Banner reluctantly tore his gaze from the still faintly glowing grass to glance at his patient. "That's not really what I meant when I told him to rest." The doctor said drily. "Sleeping like that is murder on your back."

Loki was deeply asleep in one of Tony's lab chairs, which had been specifically designed to keep the sitter uncomfortably awake during long, tedious nights. He was too tall, and his head was craned painfully over the back of the chair, exposing his bird-like neck. The young god was snoring slightly.

"Like a butterfly punching you in the face," Stark continued, his eyes shining with dramatic, and fake, tears. "Or the first bloody scratch from a kitten." He sniffed and drew one filthy hand across his cheek, leaving a black smudge. "That's the sort of face you'd let get away with genocide. Oh, wait."

Bruce opened his mouth to defend the sleeping Loki, and paused. Loki had committed genocide, one of the worst war crimes humans could dream up. Not only had Loki slaughtered an entire race, but he had tried to do so three times.

"Loki hasn't got away with it," He countered instead. "His father branded and whipped him, and who knows what else." The argument felt weak. Should he defend Loki, after everything he had done? Could he not defend Loki, after everything they had been through?

"And Hitler was bullied in first grade," Tony snarked, but he still looked faintly worried. He puttered about with a few more pointless tests, avoiding Banner's eyes. "You, ah, you don't think Thor's dad did any of that, you know, before?"

Yes, I do think that, the doctor thought. "We could ask Thor, but he might not tell us."

"Mmm." Tony labelled the magic grass samples and copied down the results of his last test before meticulously cleaning up. Bruce knew the inventor only tidied up when he was avoiding a particularly sticky thought, and remained silent. The room was quite save for the soft snuffling of Loki's gentle snores. "I, I looked up some legends after New York. Do you want to hear what Loki did to a goat?" Stark grinned mischievously, but it didn't hide the hollow worry in his expression.

"The thing with the goat's beard?" Bruce asked sarcastically. "Sure, let's just wake Loki up first and ask. Can you see him doing that?"

Tony winced. "Point taken."

The doctor let the tension build. He could tell his friend was trying to scrounge up the courage to speak some certain painful idea. Banner hoped dearly that Loki didn't somehow wake up at the wrong moment and break the fragile peace. Tony licked his lips nervously and gathered himself.

"What about his kids?" He mumbled in a small voice. "You think that's just myths and stuff?" They both glanced quickly at Loki, not daring to breath. The young god didn't stir.

"Mr. Thor is approaching the lab, sir." JARVIS whirred, interrupting the moment. Bruce noticed distantly that JARVIS reacted to Thor the same he had to Loki. No change in inflections, sentence structure or emotion.

"Tell him to be quite and let him in, Jarv." Bruce suggested. Thor wasn't allowed in the lab without permission anymore. He had tried to fix a laptop with Mjolnir.

The door slid open and Thor slunk in. He glanced about shortly before his eyes settled on the sleeping form of his little brother. He smiled and crossed the room silently.

"Hey, Zapdos." Tony greeted him. Bruce snorted and mouthed 'Pokemon?' "Shut up, Brucie, it's fitting."

Thor was used to having earth's many idioms and references fly over his head, and hardly noticed Stark's nicknames anymore. "I am surprised my brother would slumber in your presence, my friends." He commented in a less booming voice. The thunder god brushed away the wild black curls from Loki's blank face, a strangely timid expression on his face. "We were once great companions, and trusted one-another as we did no other. Perhaps we shall be again." He murmured hopefully.

The two mortals shared a look. Theoretically, they knew Loki and Thor had been inseparable brothers for thousands of years but seeing the affection in practice was baffling. Tony hesitantly cleared his throat.

"Thor?" The thunder god looked up. He knew Stark well enough to recognise using his real name was a bad sign. "Does, uh, Loki have any kids?"

The massive blonde froze, his wide blue eyes shooting towards Loki. The mischief maker snuffled in his sleep. Thor slowly moved away from the chair as though it was a proximity mine and gestured to Stark and Banner to follow. Once they were outside the sound-proofed lab, Thor resumed breathing.

"Anthony Edward Stark," He said severely with a face like a storm-cloud, "if my brother had heard you, the All-father himself could not spare you. I say this as your friend. Never mention Loki's children in his presence." Bruce watched Tony through the corner of his eye. The self-proclaimed genius had wilted anxiously. They had their answer, but Bruce needed to know more.

"What can you tell us?" He asked insistently. Thor's blazing gaze turned on him but Banner didn't quail. Loki's glare was far worse.

The Aesir deflated at Bruce's clinical tone and scratched his chin nervously. "If Loki hears-"

"He won't, and we can't help Loki until we know what he's been through." The doctor consciously slammed a lid on his emotions. He figured whatever he heard wasn't going to be pretty.

Thor was no story-teller. He told only the facts he knew, trimmed no thorny truth; Fenrir, imprisoned; Jörmungandr, exiled; Hel, exiled; Váli, (and here Thor choked slightly) dead; Sleipnir, enslaved. By the end of the list, his throat was tight and his eyes watered. They were his niece and nephews, though Thor had never thought of them as such before. It was starting to settle in how he had failed his little brother over the years. Of all Loki's children, Thor had only met Váli and Sleipnir. Váli had been a studious young boy, much like his father, and Sleipnir was a very fine, er, horse. They hadn't deserved their fates.

Tony was looking up at the ceiling, blinking uncomfortably. Bruce had his hands clasped tightly over his lap and was thinking calming thoughts.

Stark cleared his throat. "Odin is an asshole," He croaked. Thor didn't have the strength to bridle against the comment and in any case, he privately agreed just a bit. "I thought- How the fuck did he get away with all that?!"

"There aren't human, Aesir, whatever." Bruce uttered expressionlessly. "A wolf, a snake, a horse- they only saw monsters, didn't they?" What could people do to Bruce, without so much as a flicker of guilt, if SHIELD wasn't protecting him? If the Hulk wasn't protecting him?

What they had done to Loki, he guessed.

"Dammit," Tony cursed under his breath, "I'm sympathising with the mass murderer." The three loitered sheepishly, trapped in their own thoughts and uncertainties. "Is Barton here yet?"

"Yes. He is with Lady Romanoff." Thor mumbled, looking lost. He wasn't used to the human tendency to 'change subjects' at the first heavy word. "She asked me to watch Loki."

There was a pause as, in a single shared move, they turned to face the closed door.

Stark giggled hysterically. "Whoops."

Loki was dreaming. It must be a dream, he thought, because he was free. There was wind buffeting his feathers as he skimmed over an endless golden field. The sky was clear and almost painfully blue. He could see figures moving below him, familiar and beloved shapes loping, galloping, slithering or running in the shielding shadow of his wings.

The wind grew fiercer and the blue dimmed into a purple-grey. Rain pelted Loki from every side, obscuring his view and thunder crashed around him, vibrating in his bones. He swooped desperately, lower and lower in search of the ground, but the field was gone. Empty blackness sucked at the edges of his vision, panic pooled in his chest and tore out a great piercing cry-

The door swung violently open, jerking Loki awake. Thor stood in the frame with Mjolnir raised in the air, ready for battle. He drew up short when he realised the young god was still sitting in the chair.

Loki, caught in the grips of a nameless terror, jumped to his feet. A thousand years of fighting along side Thor had ingrained in him the strong instinct to gravitate towards big blonde men wielding hammers and he flitted without thought to the thunder god's side. "What's happened?"

Thor looked down at his swaying, bleary-eyed, half-asleep little brother and flushed ashamedly.

"Nothing, minn smár bróðir," The thunder god said soothingly, taking Loki's elbow. The pale sorcerer was, fortunately, far too drowsy to fight back and allowed himself to be lead over to Tony's emergency cot and laid down. Loki had gone beyond merely tired and was in the realm of 'almost literally dead on his feet'. The godling closed his eyes and just barely kept his head above the tide of sleep.

Tony tip-toed quietly over with Bruce at his heels. Banner took Loki's abandoned chair and took off his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose while Stark drifted over to the pair. "I didn't know gods needed to sleep." He snarked feebly.

"Not often, friend Anthony, but my brother is exhausted. Seiðr takes much from its wielder. My father sometimes spends weeks resting in the wake of some expensive magic. Loki will sleep for some time." Thor went to sit down on the cot and knelt down beside it instead after a moment's thought. The Aesir scratched his chin uncomfortably. "He was frightened," He murmured gently, "when I opened the door. Why?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "You charged in with a raised hammer and you wonder why he was surprised?"

Thor's face crumbled. "Loki was frightened of me?"

You stupid oaf, Loki thought dreamily, you couldn't scare a pheasant. He knew it wasn't strictly true, but few people had ever accused Loki of honesty.

Stark hurried to reassure the deflated thunder god. "Surprised by you, he's probably used to you waving Mew-Mew at him."

If anything, Thor fell apart even more. His lower lip quivered. "Yes, yes, he must be used to it. I have been careless with Mjolnir and Loki often suffered for it."

Where in the Nine Realms did that come from? Loki guessed they were continuing some previous conversation and felt a lick of anger. Some people made it so hard to spy on them.

"At least you know now," Bruce pitched in kindly. "And you won't do it again, will you?" The human doctor managed to inject as much warning and disappointment into that simple sentence as the All-mother herself. Warmth bloomed briefly in Loki's skinny chest.

To the magic-user's surprise, Thor nodded earnestly and swore, "Never again, my friend. Never."

Ever making promises he can't keep, Loki assured himself shakily.

Stark wandered back to his lab, struggling to keep the sound down and simultaneously offer Thor the privacy of loud noises. Loki felt a hot breath ghost over his ear and the tickle of the Aesir's hair over his cheek.

"Ek harmr minn mistaka," Thor rumbled, "I will not repeat them." He heaved a great sight and moved reluctantly away.

Loki's last thought, drifting down into the embrace of oblivion, was that he had to see his children before he faced the Mad Titan.

Just in case.


	8. Skuldalið

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, LostGryphin.

The next time Loki woke up, he was relieved to feel the faint sizzle of magic under his skin. He kept his eyes closed, basking in the heat of power as he subtly twitched his arms and legs, checking for restraints.

There was a rustling noise to his left and a cool hand caught his exposed wrist. Someone counted patiently under their breath.

Loki risked opening his eye a sliver. Bruce was hunched over his mutilated arm, staring fixedly at his watch. The doctor glanced up and caught the god's eye.

Bruce smiled, releasing Loki's wrist. "Good morning,"

The godling did a quick calculation in his head. "I've been asleep for 18 hours?" He rasped incredulously. His mouth tasted of sand as he swayed into a sitting position, blinking muzzily. Bruce steadied him and laughed lightly.

"20, actually, you missed a lot." The mortal sat down beside him on the cot and removed his glasses to clean them on his shirt. "I don't know what she did, but Natasha's convinced Clint that Thanos is the bigger threat. He'll fight so long as he doesn't have to... see you." He cleared his throat sheepishly.

"Seems fair," Loki said hoarsely. He glanced around with dull eyes and realised he wasn't in the lab anymore. "Whose room is this?" The walls were a pale blue, the carpet a clean ice white, and an entire wall was made of glass overlooking the city. It had few personal items but made up for the lack of personality by being spread messily across the room. The young god had a sinking feeling he knew who slept here.

Bruce offered an apologetic grin. "Thor's. He said you'd need to rest and Tony's emergency cot wouldn't cut it."

Loki waited for the usually rush of resentment and rage but it didn't come. He cast about for something to say. "What does bae mean?" He muttered, mostly to himself. Banner stiffened beside him and coughed.

"Earth colloquialism," The doctor mumbled to his feet. " 'S not important." He stood and stretched to cover the last of his embarrassment. "So, uh, how do we hunt Thanos down?"

Loki shuffled to the edge of the bed and rubbed his face. His body was one deep ache, the agony of recovering from a terrible illness. The very first thing he wanted to do was shower or eat, but he forced himself to face the human. "His people lived on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn in this realm, though they are long dead. He was in the void some time ago, but he has likely moved on. Perhaps... Does your SHIELD still have possession of my Scepter?"

"It was-" Bruce bit off his sentence and flushed red.

Loki watched the internal struggle for a moment before chuckling. "Stolen? I see. By whom?"

The doctor wavered for a moment before laughing at himself. "HYDRA. I don't know much about them. Why?"

"It is set with an Infinity Stone, the Mind Gem. Thanos ' _gifted_ ' it to me, he will want it back." Loki scratched the inside of his arm, delicately scraping the furrows and ridges that would never heal right. "I will retrieve the Scepter, but... There is something I must do first." He stood painfully and offered Banner his hand. "It won't take a moment, if you would like to...?"

Bruce swallowed and took his hand.  _After all_ , he thought optimistically,  _asking for help was a good sign. It means he's opening up_. The world swirled around them in a kaleidoscope of colour and vertigo. A blast of freezing wind nearly knocked him over. He risked a peek when the dizziness faded and was relieved to see boundless grey expanse of a northern beach. "This is-s still ear-rth, right?" He asked through chattering teeth.

"Cape Sheridan, Canada." Loki flicked his fingers, spreading a cloud of heat over the shivering mortal. He let go of Bruce and stepped down towards the shore, maintaining perfect grace over the ice-slicked rocks. "We remain in Midgard for now. Please.. just watch."

Loki flowed into the water, letting the numbing slate-coloured water rise until it lapped at his waist. Tendrils of glowing turquoise curled out from his prone shape and stretched down and away. The foaming sea stilled for a moment before writhing like a nest of snakes. Waves churned frantically as something massive rose from the depths, pushing aside heavy blocks of ice effortlessly. A titanic equine-shaped head arrayed in barnacle-speckled spikes lifted slowly from the water. Its shimmering chartreuse eyes, each the size of a truck, fixed on the mischief god. Between its epic jaws was the scarred tip of an endless tail that extended down into the water and, by the white horses frothing along the coast, continued on infinitely.

"Oh my gosh," Bruce whispered in awe. The colossal eyes flickered briefly to watch him before losing interest. Banner could see intelligence there, not of the human sort but far older and deeper. Jörmungandr bent steadily down to brush tenderly against Loki, who wrapped his arms as far around his son as he could. The ocean rippled under the force of the World Serpent's gleeful rumbling.

Loki stood in the water talking contentedly with his child in Old Norse for awhile before gesturing for Bruce to approach. The mortal approached on shaky legs until the surprisingly tepid water reached his stomach and he stood beside Loki. Small icebergs, broken apart by the Midgard Snake's arrival, butted timidly against his sides and back.

"H-hello," He spluttered. It didn't feel like enough so he threw in a weak wave. The full force of Jörmungandr's gaze settled on him.

Without dropping his tail, Jörmungandr addressed the doctor. "Annarr faðir," His voice was as immense as his body and seemed to come from the earth itself.

Bruce was completely flat-footed. Was that a normal greeting? "Er, Annarr faðir?" He warbled back uncertainly. Banner barely managed to stay above the thrashing sea as a terrible racket split the sky. Jörmungandr was  _laughing_? Bruce looked desperately to Loki who smiled and nodded approvingly.  _That's good,_  he guessed, though he had no clue what he had done right.

The mammoth snout briefly grazed Loki again before reluctantly melting back into the steely ocean. The young god stared out at the empty sea for a few seconds. "Well, Doctor Banner?"

"He has your eyes," Bruce managed without stammering. By the surprised thaw in Loki's eyes, it was the correct thing to say.

The sorcerer studied Banner thoughtfully and hummed. "I am beginning to think removing your Hulk will not be ample enough payment." He stated carefully.

"It's ample enough to me!" Bruce protested vehemently. He deserved it eight times over, as far as he was concerned!

"You mistake my intentions, dear doctor. I don't intend to take away your reward," Loki waded through the thigh-deep water until he towered over the mortal. "I would like to add to it."

One of Loki's spray-soaked hands caught the back of Bruce's neck while the other effortlessly snaked around the shorter man's waist. Banner found himself completely trapped as his heart stuttered in his chest and his breathing turned into uncertain ragged puffs.

"W-wait," Bruce gasped breathlessly, "the _'Other Guy'_ -"

"Your beast will not bother us and neither will mine." Loki promised fervently, bowing his head as he tilted the doctor's back. Bruce felt his heart leap and... slow steadily, leaving a touch of calm inside a mess of hot confusion. He caught a glimpse of green eyes aglow with magic before Loki impatiently claimed his lips.

_He's controlling my heart-rate!_  Banner thought distantly. _How does that work? A precise frequency might-_

And then all thought vanished.

After a few seconds Bruce realised that Loki's earlier spell had faded away and he was, in fact, standing in arctic water so chilly only constant waves were keeping the ice from sealing over completely.

The doctor broke the kiss to shriek like a dying seagull and jumped into Loki's arms. The god swayed only slightly under his weight and chuckled fondly, carrying him back to the shore.

"Surely it cannot be  _that_  cold." The god said mockingly as he warmed the air up around them.

"Ar-are yo-u k-kid-ding?" Bruce stuttered coldly. He knew he would have been blushing if the blood hadn't been turned to syrup in his veins. "Yo-our're tu-turning blue!"

The sorcerer looked down at his chest and saw the jötunn markings rising like goose-flesh where the soaked shirt revealed his skin."I am often blue, Seggr." Loki replied with forced indifference. "It is how you can tell I am a villain. We must be colour-coded, or your poor team-mates would never know." He set the shaking mortal down gently on the shore.

They stared out at the sea in silence as Bruce slowly warmed up and Loki regained his pallor. He gave a weak cough to get the god's attention. "That- I- You-" He gathered himself and tried again, keeping his eyes closed so he wouldn't have to look at Loki. "I don't want...  _this_  to be because you feel obliged to or anything." He risked opening one eye a sliver.

Loki was doing a good job at being blank-faced and serious.  _That_ , Bruce thought with a sinking stomach,  _or I managed to offend him_. "What would you like to blame then, doctor?"

Bruce took a deep breath of cold salty air and exhaled slowly. He was pretty sure Loki wouldn't smite him, not now. "I want it to be- to be  _just because,_  I guess." About eighty percent certain. "Because we get along and, er," He blushed furiously under the weight of Loki's attention and forced himself to press on. "And because we want to." Only the spell still curled up in his chest kept his heart from bursting or letting the Other Guy out.

Loki appraised the mortal pensively for a moment. "Yes," he mused softly, "perhaps we do." He straightened and offered his arm to Bruce. "Jörmungandr was my first stop, but not my only one. Would you accompany me, Doctor Banner?"

Bruce grinned and took his arm. "Bruce."

The god tilted his head slightly. He didn't smile, although the mortal thought maybe his face lost a few lines and some tension. "Bruce."

* * *

Banner stumbled when the spinning stopped, kept from the ground only by the grip on his arm. He wasn't sick but it was a near thing and it took a few seconds and several deep breaths before he could look around.

"This is Asgard," He gasped, enthralled. Golden spires rose into a piercingly bright sky, impressive gilded walls boxed them in on all sides and people in outlandish Nordic armour brushed past without a word. He turned eagerly to Loki and staggered back. "Loki?"

It must be Loki, since he was still holding his arm, but the man beside Bruce was far short and stockier with stormy grey eyes, a cropped red beard and curly mane.

"I am a wanted criminal, Seggr." Loki explained with an irritated huff. "I have no wish to be captured again. Not now." He pulled the mortal briskly through the crowd, weaving towards the distant gold castle. "We will go to the stables," He stated forcefully, "and the dys akr. It isn't safe to stay long."

Bruce glanced discreetly at the god as they walked. Even with the changed face, he could tell Loki was uncomfortable in Asgard. He had walked through earth and the Void like he not only owned it but was part of it, dragging the scenery behind him like a cape. In Asgard, in the golden city he helped create, Loki couldn't even lift his head high enough to meet a stranger's eyes.

It didn't take long to reach the castle stables through the mischief god's alleyways and shortcuts. One or two servants scurried through the courtyard but quickly fled at a contemptuous jerk of Loki's chin.

"Do they recognise you?" Bruce asked apprehensively. He vaguely recalled Thor saying they were both princes in Asgard.

"They don't even see us," Loki replied with a touch of pity, "they are used to obeying." He released Bruce's arm and stepped into the shaded stable. After a second's hesitation, the mortal followed.

The stables were dark and warm, alive with the soft snuffling of massive noses and click of hooves. He could just barely make out the gleam of several clever eyes watching them through the stall, each the size of a tennis ball and hovering well over Banner's head. Loki headed unerringly into the depths of the shadows while Bruce stumbled clumsily behind him. When the reached the deepest, darkest corner in the stables, Loki stopped and lit the torches.

Somewhere outside the circle of firelight, a great sleepy head stirred. Bruce squinted in the gloom. Was that a neck, or a fallen stone column? Those knobby lengths could be eight folded legs or maybe a stack of trees and cloth. And that  _couldn't_  be the body of a horse big enough to carry a school bus. Like a distant puzzle, the various equine parts snapped slowly into place.

Sleipnir rose unsteadily, legs splaying childishly in every direction as he whinnied ecstatically. With a heave like a building collapsing in reverse, the mighty horse jerked onto his eight uncoordinated limbs. It took a moment for Sleipnir to organise himself enough to lower his head to eye-level and sniff eagerly at the new arrivals. When the scent reached his distant brain, he squealed thunderously and tapped his hooves in an excited ungainly dance.

Loki reached into the stall, catching his son's rocking head and calming him down with a gentle shushing. "Minn burr," he shakily whispered and smiled thinly, "my little slipper." One pale hand could barely cup a single hard cheekbone but Sleipnir enthusiastically leaned into his hold, letting out tiny squeaks that nearly bowled the mortal over.

Bruce hung back awkwardly, looking at the ceiling.  _Thor had said Sleipnir was enslaved,_  he thought.  _What would it have been like for Loki, living here and being helpless to stop Sleipnir being used as a beast of burden?_ He blinked rapidly and counted the birds sleeping in the rafters to distract himself.  _How smart is Sleipnir? Jörmungandr could speak, but his other parent had been,_  Bruce cast about his memory,  _Angrboða, probably, while his brother's father was definitely a horse_.

He glanced over at Sleipnir again. The mountainous creature was trying to wiggle his head under Loki's arms, nearly lifting his skinny mother into the air. His vast body trembled happily, but he kept his head steady and moved with care. Sleipnir wasn't just a clever and mindful horse, he was a clever and mindful person.

Sleipnir's kind eyes drifted over to Bruce and he stilled, snorting with concern into Loki's chest. The mischief god waved the doctor to step into the light.

"His eyesight is poor," he explained quietly. "A side effect of size, I am told."

Bruce crept forwards, keeping his movement exaggerated as he reached out and stroked Sleipnir's broad grey nose. "Can't you fix-"

"No."

Bruce nodded quickly. "Er, how does Odin ri- I mean-"

Loki silently pulled the bridle off the hook beside the stall door. It was the size of a saddle in the god's hands, a shimmering gold with cruel curved studs on the inside. Sleipnir shied away nervously.

"It tears him down to size. I burned it once," he stated flatly, rubbing the metal studs between his finger and thumb. "I was not punished." He pressed down until the hook bit into his hand and began to bleed.

Bruce's heart fell and he felt his fingers tighten in the grey fur. "But Sleipnir was, wasn't he?"

Loki threw the bridle down without warning. The poisonous burning hatred was in his eyes, a look that had wiped out an entire race. "I could kill them all," he whispered so faintly Bruce couldn't be certain he had heard right. Maybe he just didn't want to believe he had. "I am powerful, Seggr. Not strong, perhaps, but powerful. I could ruin Asgard with a wave of my hand-" He stopped.

Sleipnir was crying.

Big, salty tears rolled down from his clouded blue eyes. He couldn't speak, just watch his mother's rage with a sad, heart-broken look.

Bruce took advantage of the opportunity Sleipnir gave him. "We already talked about this, Loki." He stepped forwards warily and lightly grabbed the god of mischief's arm. "Things will never get better if you don't try, you know." Loki stared unseeingly down at the mortal's hand.

"I was the god of change, a long time ago. Change is only a kinder breed of chaos." The sorcerer drew the musty air in deeply, held his breath and released it slowly. "It is a kindness I thought myself incapable of." The pain and rage receded but did not disappear.  _It's an improvement over genocide,_  Banner reminded himself. "Can you fix the world, Bruce?"

"N-no, I can't."

Loki smiled. "Good. If you had said anything otherwise, you would have been lying. And I have no respect for a liar." Sleipnir reached through the stall window and lipped his mother's shoulder affectionately. Loki rubbed his nose and kissed his forehead. "Be safe, minn fyl." He reluctantly stepped away and left the stable, Sleipnir's happy neigh following them out.

Night had fallen across the great city. "How long have we been gone?"

"Time is different here," Loki replied tightly, grateful for the distraction."Your friends will not notice our absence."

Bruce went over the day in his mind. There was Jörmungandr, and then- Bruce blushed, and after that was Sleipnir. Thor had mentioned Hel and Fenrir, but neither would be in Asgard.

"What is Die-Dice Acure?"

"Graveyard."

"Oh." Bruce felt the world bubble up and spill out before he could bite down on his tongue. "Váli?"

_OhnowhydidIsaythat?_

Loki didn't speak for a moment. He looked up at the dark sky with its beautiful stars and heaved a hollow sigh. Banner felt like the world's greatest jerk when he realised the young god's eyes were shining. "Yes."

The crossed the city in silence. Even with night in full swing, Loki kept to the back-ways. Bruce didn't have the heart to question him.

Loki stopped at a solid iron fence and closed his hand hesitantly over a bar, gripping it like he would spiral away into the sky if he didn't have something to hold. It moaned eerily as he pulled it open.

"I think," he said to his feet. "I think that I will do this part alone."

Bruce desperately and unsuccessfully tried to hide his relief. He wanted to be there for Loki, but what could he say? Banner swiftly latched onto the sorcerer's wrist before he could leave. He smiled uncertainly and slipped his hand down to squeeze Loki's cold fingers. "I'll be right here," he promised

The mischief god nodded his head slightly and straightened, pulling himself together. He stepped into the graveyard alone with hardly a tremor.

* * *

Bruce had dozed off against the metal gate by the time Loki returned. He was tall and proud again, filled with a new determination to hide his emotions. The doctor didn't speak, just took his hand and waited.

_It's getting worse,_  Bruce reflected as he groaned sickly and braced his hands against his knees.  _Transdimensional transport, or whatever the hell Loki called it, should become easier with repetition, not-_  His train of thought derailed entirely as he wretched on the grey stone ground.

He jumped feebly when a someone awkwardly rubbed his back and peered over his glasses with watering eyes. Loki glared at him, daring the mortal to comment, and passed him a skin of water.

When Bruce recovered and his mouth no longer tasted like the inside of a compost heap, he finally looked around. It was desolate and cold with somber, half-built, ice-sheathed construction arched up and disappeared in the low mist. The horizon ended only a few feet away, shrouded by impenetrable fog. It didn't look quite right, though. Banner squinted. If he looked hard enough at one spot, the dreadful colourlessness gave way and a glimmer of vibrant plants broke through. It wavered uncertainly for a few seconds before his eyes teared up and he was forced to blink away the image.

"How does that work?" He demanded out loud, reaching for one of the plants. He felt fine hairs brush his extended fingers but the sensation dissolved like spiderwebs when pressed.

"Helheim is a figment of imagination," Loki raised his arms and flourished dramatically. The bleak scenery swirled away like dirt under a tap, revealing the peaceful green land Banner had glimpsed underneath. "It is a simple illusion."

The frosty building morphed into towering trees, carefully manipulated into a living city. The hanging fog was replaced by blindingly green leaves, shaking in a much warmer breeze.

Bruce toed the dirt and pinched the grass, glancing suspiciously at Loki. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sweet wail of wind through the trees and smell of the hot sun beating down on a ripe field. He hesitantly picked up a fallen twig and cracked it between his teeth, tongue recoiling at the bitter bite of sap. He spat it out and smirked.

"It is  _not_ an illusion." The mortal stated confidently and shot Loki a mild glare. He wasn't at all surprised when Loki laughed, barely a hint of anguish or anger left, and gave the doctor an approving nod.

"You trust nothing but your own senses," he chuckled. "I can respect that, dear doctor."

"Actually, I don't- er, trust my senses, that is." Bruce admitted, adjusting his glasses. "You have a tell."

The god of lies looked downright scandalized. "I do  _not_."

"Yes, you do. You look... too observant. You're watching for the reaction."

Loki's eyes narrowed. "A thousand Aesir in a thousand years haven't noticed."

"No, they haven't looked."

Bruce had the feeling that he had passed some sort of test, and that there had been plenty of quizzes he hadn't even noticed. It was exhilarating, in a way, talking with Loki. He had to be clever and observant, quick in his reply but sincere too.

It was also aggravating and exhausting.

The god gestured for the mortal to follow and slipped through the trees. Bruce jogged after him with a fond sigh. He could make out a massive castle ahead made of twisting roots and a trunk nearly as thick as Jörmungandr. It lead down in a deep cave and a cold, cloyingly sweet gust of wind bellowed out from it. The interior of the cavern was almost pitch black, illuminated dimly by glowing engravings in Old Norse along the walls. Loki maneuvered the confusing paths without hesitation, running his left hand over the shining symbols. Bruce curiously ran his fingers across them and was surprised to feel some were colder then the others. They only got colder the deeper they went.

The ceiling vanished into the dark above them and Banner could hear his footsteps echo distantly.  _Some kind of Great Hall_ , he figured. Light suddenly flooded the room.

Hel was waiting for them, sitting on a throne of ash wood atop a platform carved into the entrenched roots. Her left side was shiny and bloated, splotched with green, yellow, and purple blots. The hair on the left was stringy and lank while her eye was milked over. The sickly sweet smell came from her.

Her right side was, for lack of a proper word, goddess-like. Beautiful black ringlets fell sensually over a laughing blue eye. Her cheeks were pink and whole, her nose straight and regal. Everything was a mix of innocent curves and harsh angles.

She was wearing a concealing green robe and a delicate crown of mistletoe.  _She must have her father's stinging wit, to wear mistletoe,_  Bruce thought dryly with the part of his mind that noticed those sorts of things. He dimly saw Loki approach the throne and pull Hel into a powerful embrace. From that view, Hel's animated face turned to Banner and shining with happiness, her deceased cheek pressed against her father's chest, it looked... normal. The shock of that image shook Bruce out of his thoughts.

He coughed shyly into his hand and smiled when Hel turned to appraise him. "It's nice to meet you," he struggled with a title before lamely finishing off with, "miss." He didn't quite know where to look and ended up watching her nose anxiously. Somehow, Jörmungandr and Sleipnir had been easier.

Hel, like her brothers before her, eyeballed the doctor briefly before dismissing him as a threat. Loki had a knowing little smile that Bruce knew meant he had noticed.

"This is Bruce Banner," Loki said, "a mighty healer warrior of Midgard. Bruce, this is my daughter, Hel."

The only Lokisdottir frowned thoughtfully and squinted at Banner, who reddened and shrugged. Loki quickly added with a laugh, "No, you may not test him."

Hel rolled her eyes in a shockingly  _Loki_  gesture. She sat down on the steps to her throne and leaned against the mischief god, resting her head against his shoulder. Bruce swayed uncertainly for a moment before stiffening his spine and sitting on Loki's other side.

No-one spoke for several minutes, Loki alternating between stroking his daughter's head and rubbing her back, before Hel broke the silence. "What's this about?"

Loki turned so he could give Hel a sad and mournful look. "I have never needed a reason before. Have I visited you so rarely?"

_It's maybe forty percent faked,_  Bruce guessed,  _which is just about as good as honesty with him_. The goddess came to the same conclusion and butted the side of her father's neck childishly.

"Of course not! But something's wrong, isn't it, dad?" She pouted slightly, her blue eye glimmering tearfully. When Loki didn't answer, Hel focused on Bruce.

_Oh no_. She was a master manipulator, just like her old man. From the expression on Loki's face, he was thinking the same thing.

"Well, mighty warrior? What dumb thing is my father up to?" Hel artfully angled her head so the mortal could only see the healthy flush in her pale cheeks, the striking contrast of her ebony curls, the lively red in her lips, the deep blue abyss in her eyes-

"Ask your father." Bruce replied easily.

The sheer human-ish quality to that reply struck the two immortals dumb. Loki laughed first, head thrown back and skinny chest shaking with Hel joining in shortly after.

"Slœgr rekkr," Hel commented teasingly, "but that doesn't answer my question. Dad, please tell me what's going on?"

_Another thing Hel had in common with Loki,_  Bruce thought, _is that they both use their emotions to get what they want. They're being honest and open for the sake of manipulation_. A dark little voice chimed in from the back of his head;  _clever_.

Loki tucked a few curls behind Hel's ear, hands nearly, but not quite, trembling. He cupped her cheek and smiled thinly before leaning in to whisper softly into her ear.

It suddenly struck Bruce, with the force of a meteorite, that Loki didn't expect to beat Thanos. He was saying goodbye.

Hel's face turned blank alarmingly fast and she nodded sharply. "We can-"

"No." Loki interrupted her kindly. Hel stood abruptly, her robe swirling around her in an angry tempest.

"It is our choice," she hissed, "and if we want to-"

"No." He repeated tonelessly. The god rose slowly to his feet, meeting Hel's fire with cool stubbornness. He looked almost defeated. As though sensing Banner's thoughts, Loki glanced at the doctor and rallied himself. "I'm not telling you, meiðmar, I am begging you."

"Th-that's a dirty trick," Hel muttered wretchedly. She pulled her father into another hug. "You're a horrible, horrible person." Tears dripped off her chin and dampened Loki's shirt. She sniffled for a few moments before pushing the mischief god away. When she spoke again, her voice was brittle and choked. "Off to see Fenrir, then?"

"Yes," Loki said evenly, "after I return the good doctor, of course." He pecked her goodbye on the cheek.

Bruce startled. He had almost forgotten he was even in the room. "I- I can't come with?" He asked, slightly disappointed. He raked his mind for what he knew about Fenrir;  _imprisoned by gods, supposed to trigger the apocalypse (might not be true and Banner wasn't about to ask), he's a massive wolf_ \- That was about it.  _Well_ , he thought determinedly,  _I_ ' _ll be damned if I'm sitting out this time._  "If it's all the same to you, I'd like-"

Loki swallowed any protest with a quick, searing kiss. Bruce didn't even have the time to blink before he felt the world drain sickeningly away again.

* * *

_Svartalfheim_

_Loki stepped lightly into the abandoned realm. It had once been home to the sooty-skinned elves, the dwarves, before their defeat. He wished sometimes that their defeat could have come sooner, before the cruel masters created an unbreakable chain, or maybe later, so he could have had a hand in it._

_He could hear the howling already. A wild, ceaseless sobbing that rose and fell erratically, burning a hole in the god's cold heart. Loki picked up his pace, hurrying across the dead land to the center of its greatest fallen city. The crying was louder here, echoing off the stone walls and silent smithies._

_There was a wolf in the Gods' Forge, so titanic that he filled the great room. His body was bound by an impossibly thin chain anchored to the forge, forcing him to lie around the ever-burning flames, so near that smoke rose from his singed fur. His head, bent uncomfortably at the neck, pointed out into the hallway. He keened highly, only slightly muffled by a terrible sword holding his jaws open achingly wide._

_Fenrir had grown since his imprisonment. The bonds, once mercifully but mindfully slack, cut through his thick black hide and etched bloody grooves in his ragged skin. When the gods had trapped him, he could move his head back and forth to curl up tightly at night. Now, his unending growth forced his head out of the chambers and the hallway closed down over his neck like a garrote._

_His blank sage eyes caught sight of Loki and he moaned piteously, struggling to get closer. Loki made a distressed little noise and rushed to his son, stroking the red muzzle comfortingly. His hands trembled as he grabbed the sword and wretched it free. It allowed itself to be drawn out reluctantly, slicing open the roof of the wolf's mouth and biting deep into Loki's palm. Fenrir worked his mouth tiredly, his broad tongue skittering across the new gash as blood spilled down his chin and pooled on the stone floor. Loki tossed the blade callously aside and went back to stroking Fenrir's trembling head. He would have to return the sword before he left, or they would return with something worse. That, in his mind, was a needless but clever cruelty to include; Loki would be forced to hurt his own son every time he visited him._

_He rocked the massive head as steadily as he could, murmuring softly in Fenrir's twitching ear. "It won't be forever, minn burr," he swore gently. "The end is fast approaching."_

_He stood there for hours, tracing reassuring patterns into the wolf's gore-flecked black fur as Fenrir panted harshly and took great heaving sniffs of his father's sharp scent. He eventually fell asleep, nose pressed against the god's stomach. Loki waited for him to wake again before_ _shamefully lifting the sword and guiding Fenrir's mouth open. The wolf flinched but obediently held his cavernous jaw wide and allowed the blade to be wedged in. It sunk several feet into the scarred roof before striking bone with a click._

_The god tearfully rubbed his son's cheek, watching the piercing dark green eyes turn agonized and enraged as the whimpers renewed. "When you are free, little fen-dweller, I will finish Tyr off with his own cursed sword." He promised._

_Of all Loki's children, Fenrir alone inherited his parent's burning thirst for justice and vindictive nature. There would be a day when the mighty work of the Gods' Forge could no longer hold the mountainous wolf's dark rage and Ragnorak would fall on Asgard._

_Loki looked forward to it._


End file.
